Wild Little Liar
by njeha
Summary: There is a sixth liar to the group of friends, Hanna Marin's twin sister, Hera. Unlike the other liars, she is the wild one that could give Alison a run for her money, with more secrets than the other girls combined. After Alison's disappearance, Hera Marin ran away from Rosewood and returns a year later to face her past. 'A' gets a kick out of Hera, and the 5 liars try to survive.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Hera Marin – Candice Swanepoel.**

 **Chapter 1:** **One Year Later:**

 _Music could be heard blasting loudly in the Hasting's Barn and the strong, intoxicating smell of vodka was burning the five teenaged girls nostrils as they drank, laughed, danced and sang along with the booming music from the radio._

 _Aria Montgomery, Hera Marin and Emily Fields were dancing in circles and giggling loudly, while Hanna Marin and Spencer Hastings were refilling their cups, when all of a sudden, the music came to an abrupt stop and the lights in the barn turned off, submerging the five girls in total and complete silence and pitch darkness._

" _What happened?" Emily whimpered, keeping a vice grip on both Aria and Hera's wrists._

" _It must be the storm," Spencer immediately informed them, looking for the best plausible reason like she always did. She jumped however, when a squeaking sound resonated from outside the barn and Aria whimpered, "There's something out there."_

 _The barn door banged open all of a sudden making the girls scream in unison and clutch onto each other harder._

" _Guys …" Hanna trailed off, looking at her twin sister for comfort. Hera squared her shoulders, trying to look brave, "Spencer's right, it's- it's probably from the storm."_

 _And with that, Hera grabbed her sister's hand comfortingly and the five girls edged closer towards the door, different emotions morphing on each of their features, though still resembling fear somewhat. They squealed and jumped in their spot as the sounds of crushing glass blared from outside but they continued to bravely trudge on._

" _Gotcha!"_

" _Aah!" the girls all screamed once again, clutching onto their chests in fear, narrowing their eyes on the pretty blonde and last person from their group of friends who appeared so suddenly at the door, scaring them to pieces._

 _The beautiful blonde began laughing so hard, her blue eyes dancing with mischief and merriment as she glanced at the faces of her five frightened best friends._

" _That's so not funny, Alison," Spencer snapped, not appreciating being almost scared to death._

 _Alison shrugged unapologetically, "I thought it was hilarious, girls."_

" _Yeah! If you wanted to give us a heart attack!" Hera ground out. Alison stuck her tongue out at her as the other girls laugh weakly and they all settled down on the sofas._

" _Ali, did you download the new Beyonce?" Hanna asked excitedly as Hera went over to the table at the corner and poured herself a drink._

" _Not yet," Alison denied._

" _I'm loving her new video!" Emily squealed. Alison spared her a small sneer and laughed, "Maybe a little too much, Em." Emily looked chastised and gulped her drink while Hera narrowed her eyes on Alison; she loved Ali to pieces but sometimes she could be such a bitch._

 _Alison handed a glass over to Aria, "Your turn. Go on."_

" _Careful Aria," Spencer warned their gothic friend as she drank more than a mouthful, "Take too much, and you'll tell us all of your secrets."_

 _Alison smirked at Spencer and Aria before glancing at the three other girls with gleeful eyes, and said, "Friends share secrets. That's what keeps us close. Drink up."_

 _Hours of gossiping, drinking and dancing had tired the girls out and before they knew it, they were out like a light. However, sleep didn't last long in their agenda as they found themselves being prodded awake by Aria._

" _What's wrong?" Hera asked groggily._

" _Where's Ali and Spencer?" Hanna asked upon noticing two of their friends were missing from their sleeping bags. Emily and Hera were now as wide awake as the two other girls as they stood up, their faces etched into confusion and worry._

" _I don't know," Aria bit her lip going toward the barn door. Spencer walked in just as the three girls were halfway to following the shorter girl._

" _Ari?" Hera called out, sighing in relief when she saw Spencer walk in, but she frowned when the blonde beauty was still missing and Spencer's next words chilled her blood._

" _She's gone."_

" _What do you mean, 'she's gone'?" Aria demanded from Spencer._

 _Spencer had a weird look take over her features, biting her lips, she said in a shaky voice, "I've looked everywhere for her. I think I heard her scream."_

Hera Marin snapped out of her reverie from the events that happened one year ago as she stared at her house from inside of her car. After Spencer informed the girls that Ali was missing, and after waiting for the allotted 24 hours, the five girls were questioned by the police about the events leading up to the disappearance of Alison DiLaurentis.

Once Hera gave her statement, she waited another day before packing up some of her belongings and her savings, swiped one her father's credit cards and took a cab to the airport, disappearing for a year to California and enrolling herself into Boarding School. Her parents weren't pleased when they received a call from their missing daughter in Cali informing them that she needed a break from all the drama in Rosewood and the disappearance of her best friend, but they ended up giving her their blessings.

Hanna, her twin sister who was five minutes younger than her wasn't easily persuaded and it took her six months to finally send her an email with barely any information. Hera and Hanna Marin, best friends and twins that could finish each other's sentences weren't the same as before. After Hera ran off to Boarding School, their relationship changed a complete 360, but Hera was adamant that she needed to leave.

And now, one year later, she was finally back in Rosewood, wishing that she hadn't made the decision in coming back and was still safely ensconced in Newport Prep Boarding School. But Hera knew that she couldn't run away from her past forever and she missed her sister dearly, desperately hoping to gain their close sisterhood back.

Sighing, Hera shut the door of her red convertible that her father bribed her with to return home and walked over to the front door. Shaking her head when she found it to be unlocked; seriously, shit can happen in Rosewood, and her mother shouldn't be so careless with safety.

Dumping her many bags near the front door, Hera walked over to the kitchen where she could hear the sounds of banging and clicking of heels and came face-to-face with her mother, Ashley Marin.

Ashley's eyes widened before joy and relief etched her beautiful features and a beaming smile curved onto her lips "Hera?" she gasped, sounding as though she could not believe her estranged daughter stood before her in the kitchen.

"Hey, mom," Hera smiled. She really did miss her mother. Ashley Marin wasn't like all the other mothers in Rosewood; she was categorized as one of the coolest moms in town. The two Marin's engulfed each other in a tight hug, before Ashley's outstretched arms held Hera's shoulders in place and her vibrant blue eyes that the twins inherited roamed over her body, observing the changes in her returned daughter.

"You look so beautiful. You've changed so much. Your tan and oh my God, your hair," Ashley grabbed a few locks of Hera's hair, admiring the red highlighted onto it.

Living in California changed Hera's outlook in life and her physical beauty. Even though they were twins, Hera and Hanna were fraternal twins; Hanna was the dumpy overweight one with the cute childish features and the love of eating everything in sight. Hera on the other hand was always slim and skinny like Ashley with more prominent and sharp features.

Coming back from Cali, Hera's pale skin was now extremely tanned, giving her a golden glow. Her body was toned now, as she went into a fit-crazy period with the friends she had made there and attended the gym on a daily basis. Her golden blonde hair now reached her waist and the ends were dyed a flaming red from her breasts to her waist. But the most different change of all that was very subtle and wouldn't be noticed by many, were her blue eyes; a year ago, they were filled with depression, defeat and fear, the light having gone out, but now, they were icy, hardened with strength but filled with sparkling emotions – positive ones.

"Yeah," Hera shrugged nonchalantly, "California changed me, decided to make myself a new look."

Ashley suddenly grabbed her wrists and her delicately plucked eyebrows raised, " _Tattoos_ , Hera?" Hera smiled sheepishly, carefully extracting both inked wrists from her mother's grasp. "Seems like you've changed _a lot_. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

On her right wrist, the words ' _Stay Strong_ ' were inked surrounded by thorns and roses, and on her left wrist, were the words 'I am a survivor, not a victim' written in Latin, ' _Ego sum superstes, non ad victimam'_.

Hera smiled sheepishly, turned around and lifted her long locks to show her mother the tattooed word, ' _Warrior_.' "And I also had a belly pierce don't. That's it."

"That's it?" Ashley asked sarcastically, before shaking her head, "Fine, I'm going to let that pass. But anymore inking and piercing and I want to know beforehand! Got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Hera saluted, drawing a smile from her mother. Hera looked around thoughtfully, "Where's Hanna?"

Ashley shuffled awkwardly and fixed her daughter with sympathetic eyes, "She already left to the mall before school. We didn't know you were coming back, so be easy on Hanna –"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. She still hasn't forgiven me for leaving," Hera sighed sadly, picking up her purse she forced a smile, "Well, I guess I'm going to school then. Bye mom." Kissing her mother on the cheek goodbye, Hera went back to her car, started the engine and drove to Rosewood High were she had unfortunately arrived just in the nick of time to attend the first day of school.

Hera felt a stab of pain when she noticed that there were still photos of a smiling Alison with the headlines 'still missing' and sighed to herself.

 _Ali, where are you?_

 ***PLL***

"Aria? Emily?"

Aria and Emily were both interrupted from walking to English class when they heard a familiar voice call out their names. Turning around, they both gasped in surprise at the changed Hera Marin.

Hera squealed and engulfed them both in tight hugs, "Emily, you look fantastic, and oh my God, Aria! Where is the pink strip in your hair?"

Aria smiled, "I thought a change was needed," she then raised an eyebrow upon noticing Hera's fiery red locks and smirked, "Obviously, you did too. I love it! And your tan is amazing!"

"I've been in Cali for a year. A tan was unavoidable," Hera laughed, "Where are Hanna and Spencer?" Aria nodded in agreement, and the two girls stared at Emily for confirmation since they were both away from Rosewood for a year.

Emily gave an awkward laugh, "We didn't just fall out of touch with you two –"

"Wait, what? Aria? Why, where were you?" Hera interrupted Emily and stared at Aria in wonderment.

"My family moved to Iceland for a year. I just got back two days ago," Aria replied. Her eyes bugging out all of a sudden at the female at the end of the hallway, "Is that Hanna?"

"She's the 'it' girl now," Emily informed them. Hera's jaw dropped when she finally set eyes on her twin sister for the first time in a year; she was thin now and dressed fashionably so, a far cry from the pudgy girl who always wore baggy clothes a year ago.

Emily continued talking over the shock of the two returnees, "And where there's Hanna, there's Mona." Hera and Aria gaped again when Mona strode confidently next to Hanna. Mona had ditched the huge glasses and was thinner as well, dressed in tight revealing clothes and a face painted to the brim with makeup.

"Wow. Talk about a makeover," Aria commented in awe.

"Holy Cow! How much has things changed?" Hera asked Emily. Emily and Aria stared at her in confusion, and Emily couldn't help but ask, "Hanna never told you what was going on in Rosewood?"

Hera pouted sadly, "Hanna hasn't spoken to me in a year. She only sent me a few emails, but she's pissed that I left, especially without saying goodbye."

Hanna noticed them and gave a small wave, her eyes widening when she noticed Hera among them. Just as Hera was about to smile and go over, Hanna snapped her head to the other side and ignored her presence completely, making Hera sigh in disappointment and Emily and Aria to give her pitying looks.

"What's up with her? Are you two fighting?" Aria asked Emily, trying to cover the awkward moment for Hera. Emily shook her head, "That's what I was saying before. We didn't just fall out of touch with the two of you. We _all_ fell out of touch with each other."

"What the hell? Why?" Hera demanded angrily, "Yes, Ali was our friend and brought us together since we were 6, but just because she's gone, doesn't mean the five of us can't be friends," she snapped, watching as Spencer Hastings walked by and gave Hanna a shy smile.

Aria nodded in complete agreement with Hera's words, but Emily sighed sadly, "I know, but that's what happened," she nudged her head towards Hanna and Spencer, "They're not so close anymore either."

"So they're friendly, but not friends," Aria commented with a forlorn sigh. The three girls walked into English class and took a seat in their separate desks.

Hera kept sneaking glances towards her twin who stayed glued to Mona's side and ignored her existence. Her eyes then drifted over to Noah who was smirking at her while whispering to someone on his left. That someone turned around at that moment, and Hera felt her blood run cold.

Chad Delaney, her ex-boyfriend. They've been dating since they were thirteen on and off. He was one of the richest and sexiest guys in Rosewood with his dark hair and stormy grey eyes. In the beginning, Hera was over the moon that one of the most popular guys asked her out, but after being with him for a few months, he changed, showing his true colors and Hera was trapped in a loveless relationship with him. Chad Delaney was another reason why she ditched the town after Ali disappeared, and she was not looking forward to seeing him on a daily basis.

"Holy crap."

Tearing her eyes away from the intense stare-off with Chad, Hera glanced at the young, handsome and dark-haired English teacher who was staring wide-eyed at an equally shocked Aria. In fact, the whole class was staring between the two of them when Aria's phone rang and she embarrassedly opened her message after apologizing to the teacher.

"Uh, I'm Mr. Fitz, your new English teacher," Mr. Fitz spoke after Aria pocketed her phone again.

After the class ended, Hera jumped out of her seat to chase after her sister, "Hanna! Hanna!"

Hanna ignored her completely, grabbing Mona's wrist and dragging her alongside the hallway and out of sight.

"Damnit Han!" Hera muttered to herself just as someone grabbed her arm. She turned around and gulped loudly when she found herself face-to-face with an angry Chad. Without a word, he dragged her into an empty hallway and slammed her backwards onto the lockers, causing a loud bang to echo around them.

"What the hell Hera! You leave without saying goodbye! You're my girlfriend!" Chad growled angrily, and she was sure that he had dented her waist with his fingerprints.

California changed Hera, and even though Chad frightened her, she wasn't about to become the girl she used to be a year ago. Snarling, Hera pushed Chad away, taking great pleasure in the surprise that flashed across his features, "Actually, Chad, we were broken up months before I left! So you have no stake in me anymore. Unless me leaving didn't spell it out for you, _we're over_!" she sneered.

The hallway was beginning to get crowded with students. Not wanting to make a scene, Chad leaned forward and spoke through gritted teeth, "We're not over, until I say we are, bitch!"

Inhaling and exhaling with relief, Hera glared at his retreating back and tried to control her trembling hands as her phone rang with a text. Her eyes widened, and her heart beat uncontrollably when she read the message that appeared on her screen.

 **Didn't know you had it in you without my interference.**

 **Maybe you don't need me to defend you anymore.**

 **-A**

"Alison?" Hera gasped in a mixture of fear and shock.

 _Flashback:_

" _Chad! Stop it! Stop! Please!" Hera whined desperately. She was shoved onto the wall in the Delaney's backyard with Chad's angry face mere inches from her and she could smell the whiskey in his breath, fanning her face with its toxic smell._

" _You went to a party with your little friends without me! You're my girlfriend Hera!" Chad snarled._

 _Hera whimpered as Chad shook her roughly and her back scraped painfully against the brick wall, "Stop hurting me!"_

 _In response, Chad let go of her, watching with disgust as her broken form crumpled onto the ground, sliding down from the wall, large sobs wracking her body. She screamed in pain when Chad's foot connected with her waist._

" _I can do whatever the hell I want with you," he growled._

" _Hey! Get off her you bastard!"_

 _Hera glimpsed at her savior and sighed with relief when Alison shoved Chad off of her, "Touch my friend again and I'll destroy you Delaney!" Alison threatened him, her face morphed with anger._

" _I'll deal with you later tramp!" Chad spat at Hera's fallen form as he strode back into his house, slamming the door loudly behind him._

 _Hera whimpered when she felt hands on her, but relaxed when she recognized them to be the soft hands of her best friend, and the next thing she knew, she was being led into the DiLaurentis' house and into Alison's room._

 _There was silence for a long moment before Alison finally spoke, "How long has it been going on?"_

 _Swallowing loudly, Hera decided that Ali deserved the truth since she was the one that helped her out tonight, "Two months after we got together."_

" _That's nearly 2 years Her!" Alison snapped. Hera merely nodded, clutching her side painfully, she was sure that she had a broken rib, but she couldn't exactly tell her parents that she was in need of medical care because she was being abused by her 'perfect' boyfriend. "You have to turn him in Hera."_

 _Hera gaped at her friend, and frantically shook her head, "N-No, I can't. Just leave it be Ali!"_

" _Leave it be?" Alison crowed incredulously. "You've become his personal punching bag. If I didn't walk in when I did, you would be suffering from a lot more than a broken rib!"_

" _I know. Look, I've dealt with it before, just forget it. I'm sure Chad won't do it anymore now that he's been caught." Alison studied her friend for a while with pursed lips, before she finally nodded reluctantly, "Fine. But if he does it again, then you go to the police."_

Alison was the only one who knew about Hera and Chad's abusive relationship. Looking down at the message from 'A', Hera didn't know if she should be relieved that Ali was apparently alive, or scared that she blabbed to someone.

 ***PLL***

"I ran into Ella Montgomery today," Ashley started as she stirred the pot. Hanna stood beside her and they were both cooking dinner. Hanna stared at her mother and waited expectantly for the next words. "Why didn't you tell me Aria was back?"

"Why didn't you tell me Hera was coming back?" Hanna shot off instantly, dodging the question.

Ashley hesitated, but before she could open her mouth, Hera silently walked in and answered, "She didn't know, sis. I surprised her today morning."

Hanna whirled around and stubbornly crossed her arms, "It wasn't exactly a nice surprise," she said sassily.

"Girls," Ashley sighed as she turned off the oven.

"Han, I'm sorry for leaving. But come on, ignoring me and being a bitch is a bit extreme, don't ya think?" Hera snapped. Hanna didn't bother replying, and the three Marins sat down to eat dinner in a stifling silence.

Ashley was the first to break it, "Ella didn't know your father left. I hate telling that story."

"So change the story," Hanna shrugged apathetically, "I did. You grew up. You grew apart. It was mutual, and, honestly, we are _much_ happier without him."

"I still can't believe dad left," Hera scoffed.

"Maybe if you didn't leave then things would've been different and he would have stuck around," Hanna snapped.

"Oh right, because my being here would have stopped dad from dumping us! Is that what you're saying?" Hera bit back challengingly.

"Girls stop it!" Ashley snapped, her eyes flickering to each of her daughters. Sighing, she placed her elbows on the table, and said, "'We' didn't get dumped. _I did_."

"He left both of us," Hanna rebutted, purposely leaving Hera out, "Huh, seems you're more like dad than I thought. You dumped us, too."

Ashley and Hanna's phone rang at the same time, interrupting Hera from retorting. Hera sighed forlornly and leaned backwards in her seat; she really wanted her sister back, but it seemed that Hanna was adamant in being a bitch and not even trying to heal their wounds.

"I'll get it," Hera mumbled, referring to the doorbell, only to be ignored by her mother and sister who were both busy on the phone.

Opening the door, a gasp involuntarily escaped Hera's lips as she nervously stared with wide eyes at the man on the other side.

"Darren?"

"Hera," Darren Wilden neutrally answered back. His tone was apathetic, but Hera didn't miss the flash of surprise that passed through his navy blue eyes. "Is Hanna Marin in?"

Surprise flickered across Hera's features, wondering what her sister had done to bring the police knocking on their front door.

"Yeah. Why?" Hanna asked suspiciously from behind her, thankfully not having overheard the familiarity between her twin and the officer.

"Is your mother home?" Darren dodged Hanna's question and ignored Hera's curious stare.

"Let me call you back," Ashley spoke through the phone. Striding over to stand by her daughter's sides, she looked at Darren and asked, "What's this about?"

"We received a call from Rosewood mall security. They have your daughter, Hanna, on tape shoplifting a pair of sunglasses," Darren informed her professionally.

Laughing nervously, Ashley said, "I'm sure there's been a mistake." Hera had eyes for no one but her twin and they narrowed when she caught the subtle guilty shift in Hanna's stance.

A cold smile flittered on Darren's face, "I don't think so." Focusing on Hanna, he said, "Could you turn around?"

"Mom!" Hanna yelled in indignant fear as Darren handcuffed her. Hera gaped; what the hell was happening? Since when does Hanna Banana shoplift?

Ashley could do nothing but let Darren Wilden take Hanna in his car to the police station while she and Hera followed after them in Ashley's car.

Ashley wasted no time in barging into Darren's office and instigate a heated private conversation with him while her daughters dutifully waited outside. Hera silently sat next to her twin, not knowing what to say and not wanting to disturb the peace with Hanna's rude bitching.

Hanna began fidgeting nervously in her seat, and just as she reached out to take a candy from the table, she received a text.

 **Be careful, Hanna. I hear prison food makes you fat. –A**

"What's wrong?" Hera instantly asked after seeing her sister's hand drop and her face turn pale.

"Nothing!" Hanna snapped, "It's just, just Mona asking for fashion advice on what to wear tomorrow," she added offhandedly. Hera pursed her lips, unwilling to believe her twin; they always had a knack of finishing each other's sentences and they were skilled in reading each other – call it a twin thing.

Leaning forward, Hera whispered, "Was it signed by 'A'?"

Hanna cricked her neck as her face turned so fast, staring at her sister in horror, "H-How … why would you ask that?" Hera nodded; Hanna's expression said it all, "I got one, too. In school today."

Hanna sighed in relief, but before she could say another word, Darren and their mom walked out from his office, and she focused on her mother, ignoring her twin for the time being, "What's going on?"

"Let's go," Ashley simply said. Hanna looked beyond relieved, but Hera sensed that something was off in her mother's tone. As the three Marins left the station, Hera couldn't help but risk a glace back, her eyes widening ever so slightly when she noticed Darren staring intensely back at her.

"In a small town like this, what people think about you matters," Ashley mentioned to a chastised Hanna as she drove herself and her daughters home.

"I know," Hanna grumbled in a small voice, her eyes never leaving her hands.

"Then why would you risk it all to steal a pair of sunglasses?" Ashley yelled incredulously. "Hanna, I buy you everything you need to be popular."

"That's not why I do it," Hanna mumbled.

Hera snorted from her place in the backseat, "What then? Is it the rush of getting caught!?"

"Don't act like you know everything Hera! A lot has changed since you ditched town," Hanna yelled angrily, her eyes glaring at her sister from the rearview mirror.

"Clearly," Hera drawled, unaffected by her sister's glare.

"This is about your father, isn't it?" Ashley demanded, bringing the attention back to the subject in hand, "You think this is going to get his attention."

"I made a mistake," was all Hanna said, tired of repeating herself.

"In Rosewood, you don't have room to make a mistake. And neither do I," Ashley retorted. Hera scoffed; that was one of the reasons why she left this godforsaken town. You couldn't sneeze without everyone somehow finding out.

"I'm sorry. I'll fix it somehow," Hanna offered with a huff.

Ashley spared a glance at Hera before adamantly saying, "You will deny you did anything wrong. It was a misunderstanding."

"But –"

"I'm taking care of it," Ashley spoke with finality, and the twins knew that the subject was closed … for now.

 ***PLL***

Hera and Hanna made their way out of the car when they noticed a huge crowd in front of the DiLaurentis' house that now housed the St. Germain's. The twins traded bewildered looks when they found two agents of coroner pushing a body bag on a stretcher across the lawn, and they pushed their way forward.

"I heard the cops take Hanna to the police station today," they overhead Aria telling Spencer who stood at the front of the crowd.

"You don't think she'd ever talk about –"

Hanna interrupted Spencer, "The Jenna thing?"

"We made a promise girls, we aren't about to break it," Hera added, standing by Aria's side and sharing a small smile with Spencer, the only one from their past group of friends that she hadn't spoken to yet.

After a few minutes of watching the crowd disperse, Hera ran back to the house with Hanna hot on her heels, wiping away the tears that were falling freely down her face and made a beeline to the television.

"The current owners of the residence were in the process of demolishing the structure to make room for a renovation project when workers made the gruesome discovery. The parents of the deceased were unavailable for comment, but a family spokesperson confirmed the gazebo was under construction. The summer 15-year-old Alison DiLaurentis disappeared. Tonight, the family is asking for privacy. As they come to terms with the sad ending to a year-long mystery, and local authorities are coming to terms with the fact a killer is at large in Rosewood."

Hanna switched off the TV upon hearing her sister's uncontrollable sobbing at the death of their friend, and dragged her into a hug. The Marin twins ignored the fact that they weren't on speaking terms at the moment and that they were currently in a rocky relationship as they both mourned and comforted each other for the death of their best friend that had been missing for a year.

"I thought you hated me," Hera stated in between loud sniffles.

Hanna was quiet for a while as her chin rested on top of her head, and her arms tightened around her sister, "I can never hate you, I'm just … angry that you left."

Before Hera could reply, they heard the door bang shut and the ruffling of clothes and the two girls stared with incredulous eyes and their mouths agape as their mother stormed into the house like a hurricane, her hand pulling Agent Darren Wilden alongside her up the stairs.

Breaking up from their locked lips, Darren's eyes found Hera's shocked blue ones and a small frown appeared when he noticed the tears on her face before reaching the top and out of sight.

"What … the … hell?" Hanna gasped, her eyes widening ever so slightly from where their mother had just disappeared with Darren to her sister's tear-stained face.

Scoffing, Hera stated, "I guess that's what mom meant by 'taking care of it'."

Their limbs were separated as the twins sat in an uncomfortable silence on the couch. Hera gave her sister a vulnerable look and spoke in a timid voice, "Can we try to move on from the fact that I pulled the disappearing act? You're my sister, and my best friend and I miss you."

Hanna thoughtfully pursed her lips. Reluctantly, she sighed, and said, "Why did you come back? Mom told me you were thrilled in Cali … why come back to this gossip-mongering town?"

Hera chuckled and genuinely said, "Because you're in it." Upon seeing Hanna's disbelieving stare, Hera continued, "I didn't plan on leaving forever. Honestly, if you weren't in Rosewood, I would have never returned."

Silence stretched for a while longer, and just as Hera was about to sadly retreat into her room, Hanna grabbed her and pulled her into another hug. No words were needed to be uttered; this was Hanna's silent way of showing her sister that even though not all was forgiven, she would try to move past it and rebuild their relationship again.

 ***PLL***

Hera and Hanna gave each other supportive smiles and they firmly held hands as they walked into the church for their best friend's funeral. They stopped by the coffin where they found Emily and Aria staring desolately at it and Hanna reached out for Aria's hand with her free one while Hera did the same with Emily's.

"Poor Ali," Emily spoke up.

"Can you believe what a scene this is?" Hanna was referring to the reporters and how her death spread across the nation.

"Alison would have loved it," Spencer commented as she joined the four girls.

"Popular in life and death," Hera chuckled weakly, "Dying with her beauty still intact."

Mr. and Mrs. DiLaurentis had them sit at first rank since they were Alison's best friend saying that they deserved priority. The five girls stared forlornly at the smiling face of Alison, the picture they had up next to her coffin.

All of a sudden Hanna rummaged through her purse and passed Emily a phial of alcohol.

"No thanks. I don't –"Emily began to refuse, but Hanna merely pushed it into her hand and said, "Today, I think you do."

Aria's cell began to ring, and the girls involuntarily stared at it with a terrified emotion across their face.

"Anyone we know?" Hanna asked in a would-be casual tone.

Aria shook her head defiantly, "It's just my mom sending me a text," she suddenly paused, her eyes scrutinizing Hera, Hanna and Spencer, before speaking in a trembling voice, "Emily and I aren't the only ones who got a message from 'A,' are we?"

They didn't have to say anything, but their faces said it all. Spencer suddenly gasped, her eyes widening at a girl that had just entered the church, "Oh, my God. It's Jenna."

The four other girls whipped their heads around and stared at the dark-haired girl in fear. She was walking with the aid of a young man they didn't know and wore sunglasses, depicting that she was blind.

Mrs. DiLaurentis moved toward the girls and said, "Did you see that Jenna Marshall was here? I didn't realize she and Ali were friends."

"They weren't," Spencer ground out firmly.

All conversation about Jenna was halted as the Minister began talking, "The lord giveth and the lord taketh away –"

Once the ceremony was over, the five girls rushed out of the church, desperately wanting to discuss the return of Jenna Marshall in Rosewood when a voice familiar to Hera sounded out from behind them.

"Emily, Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and …" Darren trailed off as his eyes connected with Hera, "And Hera."

"Do we know you?" Spencer spoke up, ever the curious one.

Hera perceived a small smirk directed at her as Darren spoke, "I'm detective Wilden. I understand you were all good friends with the victim."

Hera desperately bit her lip to stop herself from sassily responding, ' _You know we were_ ,' and was thankful for Aria intervening before she could, "Yeah, we were."

Darren nodded, of course he already knew beforehand, "I'm gonna need to talk to each one of you."

"We already spoke with the police when Ali went missing," Hera informed him firmly, her blue eyes turning to ice as they pierced Darren's skull.

Darren focused on Hera, "And I intend to go over every one of your statements. This is no longer a missing person's investigation. It's a murder. Rest assured, I will find out what happened that summer." And without allowing the girls a rebuttal, he walked away.

"Yeah, believe me, we wish we knew, too," Hera spat out. She smiled when Hanna squeezed her hand in mute support.

"Do you think he knows about?" Aria nodded her head towards Jenna who was entering a car.

"No. How could he?" Hanna negated instantly.

In unison, each of the girls phone blared with the arrival of a text. Hesitantly, they opened the text message and gasped.

"Oh, my God!" Aria exclaimed.

"It's from –"Hanna couldn't finish her sentence as Emily gasped out, "I got one too."

"Who the hell is this person?" Hera's voice wavered with fear.

Spencer began reading the text out loud, "I'm still here, bitches –"

"And I know everything. A," the girls chimed in, each of them staring at one another in horror.

 **A/N:** **Ok, so this is my new fanfic. Tell me what you think about it? It won't be exactly like the TV show; I will be changing quite a few things, and adding as well. Hera is my OC and she is the main character in my story, along with Hanna.**

 **Question; Darren Wilder … what do you think? Should I keep him an ass or change him? I like rooting for the underdog and I hated how things ended up for him … so let me know your opinions.**

 **R &R.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Hera Marin – Candice Swanepoel.**

 **Chad Delray – Matt Bomer.**

 **Chapter 2:** **The Jenna Thing:**

After Alison's funeral, and after Detective Wilden accosted them outside the church, the five nervous girls frantically made their way over to Apple Rosegrille to discuss the fact that Jenna was apparently back in Rosewood.

"Why was Jenna there?" Aria started off, her eyes beseeching each of the girls for a plausible answer.

"I guess she's back," Spencer simply shrugged, unable to deem a better response.

"Why would she come back? She's supposed to be in a place for the blind," Hera snapped; her hackles were raised with Jenna being so nearby, especially with Alison dead.

"You mean visually impaired Hera," Spencer corrected her.

"Same thing," Hera and Hanna scoffed in unison, making the three girls laugh at the familiarity of the Marin twin-speech.

"That cop acted like we were suspects or something," Hanna continued onwards.

Emma had a fearful look appear on her face and she hesitantly asked, "Do you think we looked guilty?"

"We cannot _look_ _guilty_ if we didn't _do_ anything wrong, Em. I mean, I'm guilty for falling asleep while Ali was out there doing god knows what," Hera scoffed, but kept her tone kind, knowing that Emily was freaked out and rightfully so – Darren looked like he meant business, and she was positive that he had only begun hounding them.

"Exactly," Aria instantly agreed with Hera's words.

Hanna leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "Except lie about the Jenna thing."

"We promised we'd never bring up the Jenna thing again, remember? It never happened," Spencer was quick to respond defensively.

Aria shook her head forlornly, "Have you found a way to forget? I still wake up sometimes in the middle of the night."

"Aria, it was an accident," Spencer told her.

"Besides, it was all Ali, we're just guilty for not stopping her," Hera shrugged, suppressing her laughter when she noticed an old man stare incredulously at Hanna who was pouring alcohol from her phial into her drink.

"It's medicinal," Hanna hissed at the man with a look of pure innocence. When the old man continued staring at her in disbelief, she hissed yet again in a self-justified tone, "Cramps!" The old man, shook his head and finally looked away while Hanna ignored the four looks of amusement being sent her way.

Emily continued on with their previous conversation, "I don't get it. How does 'A' know something about me that only Alison knew?"

"Ali knew all of our secrets, but … we never knew any of hers," Aria sighed.

"I knew some," Spencer blurted out before quickly shielding her mouth with her eyes wide.

"Go on!" Aria pressed.

"Talk!" Hera and Hanna demanded.

Spencer looked like a cornered mouse as she weakly said, "I can't."

"Spence!" Aria squealed indignantly, "No, you are not gonna drop a bomb like that and just clam up!"

"She'd so kill me if I told you," Spencer whined in a justified manner.

"Spencer, whose funeral were you at just now?" Hera huffed in disbelief.

"Yeah, she's dead," Hanna added.

Spencer sighed in defeat, "Ali was seeing someone that summer."

"I knew she was keeping something from me! From us," Emily quickly added when the four girls stared at her weirdly.

Aria shrugged in confusion, "Well, why didn't she want us to know?"

"He was an older boy, and he had a girlfriend," Spencer explained slowly.

Hera wasn't so perturbed with that piece of information, after all, dating older men wasn't rare in Rosewood for some people; she had also been dating an older guy, someone that no one but Alison knew about. Hanna would kill her if she found out about him.

"Who was it?" Emily asked curiously, and the three other girls leaned forward with equal curiosity.

Spencer frowned, "She never told me his name."

"That's only half the secret," Hanna pointed out in disappointment.

"It's more than you ever got from her," Spencer snapped defiantly, making Hanna lift her hands in surrender.

"How is it that Ali told us nothing, and we told her everything?" Aria couldn't help but ask, and the four girls traded bewildered looks, never having thought of it like that before.

Emily struggled to speak out her next words, "Because she made us feel like we were part of something special."

"We were," Hanna agreed forlornly.

"Also, because …" Hera trailed off and the four girls stared at her expectantly, "Well, I don't know about you four, but, Ali had a knack for popping up unexpectedly. She had her own way of finding out everything without us telling her." The girls nodded in agreement.

"I miss Ali," Emily sighed sadly. Hanna's eyes caught on to the hand-woven bracelet on Emily's hand with her name curved in silver diamonds, "I can't believe you still wear that." Ali had gifted the five girls with a pair, each with their own names inscribed.

"Ali still wears her … wore," Emily corrected her previous statement.

"When Ali didn't come home that night, I knew something terrible must have happened, but there was always some part of me that imagined someday she'd show up," Spencer informed the girls of her secret thoughts.

"Yeah," Aria had a fond smile play on her lips, "I used to think that maybe she'd just … run off with some guy."

"She was laying on a beach somewhere," Emily added with a smile of her own.

"Shopping somewhere with her secret friends that we knew nothing about," Hera giggled.

" _Or_ getting a tan by the pool with that hot lifeguard," Hanna laughed, the girls' faces all brightening up at that.

"Ohh, yeah … what was his name?" Aria wondered, thinking of that sexy lifeguard they ran into over a year ago. Hanna scoffed, "Who cares?" All of a sudden in complete unison, Hera and Hanna waved their hands in the air and mock-screamed, "Save me!" causing Spencer, Emily and Aria to burst out laughing at the reminder.

Their laughter died out when a soft tapping on the floor resounded around the place, and they slowly turned to find Jenna tapping her cane on the floor with each step she took. One by one, the girls got off of their seats, their eyes glued to Jenna as they discretely left without another sound.

 ***PLL***

Hera entered the living room dressed in rose skinny pants, and a loose cream top with her hair loose and cream wedges. She reached out for the remote and increased the volume when Darren appeared on screen.

"The coroner did release his findings this morning, and although Alison DiLaurentis' body did show signs of a blunt-force head trauma, the cause of her death was suffocation," Darren was saying.

Hera shut the television off, her thoughts roaming over the cause of Ali's death – it was obvious to her that Alison suffered before taking her last breath, and she couldn't help but shiver at the fact that the killer was roaming around freely, probably still in Rosewood watching panic stir among the people.

"Are you two going to be okay going to school today?" Ashley asked Hanna and Hera as she joined them in the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, _we'll_ be fine," Hanna added, slipping Hera's hand into hers. Hera beamed at her twin; the death of Alison had at least done some good to the Marins – the revelation of her death was helping the twins to finally heal and move on like before.

Ashley smiled fondly at her daughters before sighing, "I don't want to think about what the police are saying, and you shouldn't either. Try to remember Alison as the beautiful girl you knew."

"I'm really sorry, mom," Hanna had a guilty look on her face as she recalled the problems she had caused for her mother.

"For what?"

"The cop," Hanna replied and Hera couldn't help but shift awkwardly at the mention of Darren and she went over to busy herself with pouring some coffee.

"It's over. Okay? We won't be seeing him again," Ashley informed Hanna as she watched her artfully draw on some lipstick. "Is that amber rose? It's a good color for you."

Hanna beamed; Hera decided to forgo taking her car to school and instead went along with Hanna in her car, and they drove in a comfortable silence, not wanting to think of the school's reaction to Alison's death. Now they were known as the dead girl's best friends.

Hera went through the boring routine of high school; she left Hanna with Mona – even though they were getting back on the right track, Mona was Hanna's best friend now and even though it sounded harsh, Hera couldn't exactly stand Mona in large dosages now that she was acting vapid to easily fit in as the popular girl stereotype.

Emily was in swimming practice, and Spencer and Aria weren't currently around.

Hera's eyes widened when she found her path blocked by none other than Chad Delaney, who couldn't take the hint. Thankfully though, Hera was saved from trying to dodge him when the principle's voice blared through the intercom.

"Will the following students please come to the office: Emily Fields, Aria Montgomery, Spencer Hastings, Hera Marin, Hanna Marin."

Hera smirked and gave a small wave to a furious Chad. She made her way over to the principal's office where she found the other four waiting for her. They gathered around upon hearing Aria's phone ring.

Aria's eyes widened, "Wait, it's from 'A'." Hanna grabbed her phone, and huffed crossly as she read the message out loud, "Dead girls walking."

The door opened and the five girls ambled inside, seating themselves on the five empty chairs laid out for them expectantly, and they stared at Detective Wilden who was currently giving them a professional smile and immediately began with his questioning.

"So let's see …" Darren fixed his navy eyes on Spencer, "You thought you heard her scream."

"I-I said that, yeah," Spencer stuttered, not enjoying being the first person under the Detective's limelight.

"And when you four woke up in the barn, Alison was gone, and so was Spencer," Darren asked, his eyes lingering on Hera longer than he was supposed to. The five girls could hear the implied accusation in his tone.

Spencer gulped audibly and nodded, "Yes, I woke up before them, and I realized that Ali was missing, so –"

"So you went looking for her," Darren smoothly interjected.

"That's what happened," Spencer said firmly.

"I got that," a small smirk played on Darren's handsome features. He tore his eyes from Spencer's adamant black ones and they flickered over to each of the girls. Casually, he said, "So, what's up? Was this a slumber party, or …"

Smoothly interjecting, Hera stated, "We were six fifteen-year-old girls. Of course it was a slumber party. What did you expect? An orgy?" Hera snapped angrily, her eyes icily boring into a pair of amused navy ones. The girls all sucked in a sharp intake of breath at Hera's words, and Spencer and Emily actually choked on their own spit.

" _Hera_!" Hanna and Aria snapped with disbelieving stares.

But Hera wasn't terrified of Darren unlike the other girls, in fact, Darren seemed to be enjoying himself and the way he was staring at her was almost … challenging.

"Is this an interrogation?" Hera carried on since the other girls were still blanked out with shock and surprise.

Darren waved both hands in an 'of course not' motion, "No, just a routine follow-up. Why did you guys all fall asleep?"

"I guess we were tired," Aria replied in a wavering voice.

"Is that a crime, _Detective_?" Hera asked audaciously.

" _Hera_!" this time, Spencer and Emily joined in with Hanna and Emily in the scolding. Darren's amusement had peaked now, and he actually had to bite the insides of his cheek to stop the smile that was threatening to consume his features.

"Tired? No, not a crime," his eyes narrowed in on his next victim, trying to see which girl was the easiest to break – Hera and Spencer were definitely out, but in retrospect, he already knew that Hera was a spitfire. "Is that how you really remember it, _Hanna_?"

Hera's eyes narrowed in on Darren, she knew _exactly_ what he was trying to achieve. Hanna however, apathetically answered with a simple 'yeah.'

"Yeah, you guys were tired," Darren repeated once again.

"Look, we've told you everything we know, just like we did the night she went missing," Spencer had finally exploded – Hera was wondering where the Spencer Hastings, daughter of two of the most proficient lawyers had disappeared to.

"I know," Darren snapped, his eyes scrutinizing each girl, "And you see, the thing is, it's almost _exactly_ what you said last year – almost like it was _rehearsed_."

"Like Spencer said, we've told you everything we know," Aria shot back.

"And there's nothing rehearsed about falling asleep," Hera added scathingly.

Darren glared at her, no longer amused, and was left with no choice but to dismiss them. Upon concluding the interrogation, the five girls made their way over to the canteen and sat on a random table, forgoing their regular one where they used to sit on before Alison went missing.

After checking for any eavesdroppers, Aria hissed, "He knows we're lying."

"Lying is not a crime," Hanna defended themselves.

Spencer stared at the blonde incredulously, "It is when you're giving false statements to the police. It's called obstruction of justice."

"Oh please!" Hanna huffed adamantly, "We lied about _drinking_. But the truth that matters is we don't know anything about what happened to Ali that night."

"Besides, Darren Wilden was one of the biggest party animals in Rosewood during his high school and college days. He began drinking the same age as we did. It's called hypocrisy," Hera smirked.

Spencer grudgingly agreed with Hera and added, "We also know about someone who might have wanted to hurt her."

"A lot of people wanted to hurt her. That's not exactly hush-hush around here," Hera shrugged facetiously.

Hanna flipped her gaze to her twin, "And what's up with you? How could you speak like that to Wilden?" The other girls stared at Hera questioningly, also curious to know the answer.

Hera scoffed nonchalantly as she twirled a red lock around her index finger, "I'm not intimidated by him. We're innocent and he has nothing to pin us with." The girls thankfully accepted her response and she barely managed to stop herself from breathing out loudly in relief.

"We should have just told the police the truth about Jenna's accident the night it happened," Emily stated forlornly. The guilt was eating at her.

"I wanted to, remember?" Hanna reminded them defensively.

"We had a chance to do more than just tell the truth. We had a chance to stop Ali," Aria added.

Hera shook her head in negative, "No we couldn't. Once Ali sets her mind on something, then there is no changing it or stopping her. Even if we all bailed, she would have still done it, and you all know that, so stop bringing it up!"

"Exactly," Spencer agreed vehemently. "And telling the police now about what happened to Jenna isn't going to make her _see_ again. It'll just ruin our lives."

A cane tapping obnoxiously on the floor disturbed their conversation yet again and the five girls gaped at Jenna.

"Oh, my god, she's back in school too?" Hanna hissed angrily, though fear was the main emotion visible on her face. Aria stood up all of a sudden and the four girls' mouth hung agape when Aria returned with her hand softly around Jenna's and introduced who was sitting on the table.

Hera glared questioningly at Aria, who silently shrugged as guilt swirled in her hazel orbs. Jenna's next words disrupted their silent argument, "So … This would be Alison's chair, right?"

"No. We're not even sitting at that table," Emily responded rudely making her friends stare at her in surprise. Emily was always the compassionate and kind one from their group.

"You know," Jenna's voice was laced with an emotion akin to amusement, "She came to visit me in the hospital, after the accident."

"Alison did?" Spencer blurted out in astonishment, and the others weren't faring any better as they gaped at Jenna.

"Mm-hm. Everyone misunderstood Alison, but I knew _exactly_ who she was," Jenna stated; there was an underhanded meaning behind Jenna's words, but the girls weren't able to decipher what it was.

"When did you get back, Jenna?" Spencer asked, getting back to the topic she was most interested in, "We heard that you were in Philadelphia, a school for the … visually impaired." Hera and Hanna rolled their eyes at the reminder of last night's conversation at the Grille.

"You can say 'blind', Spencer. It's okay. It's not a dirty word," Jenna shot back with a sycophantic laugh, and Hera couldn't help but throw a smug smirk at an astounded Spencer. However, the reminder that Jenna was blind partly due to them enveloped their table with an uncomfortable and guilty silence.

"Wow. It's so quiet," Jenna carried on, her face tilted in slight confusion, yet there was a mocking hint to it, "You guys used to be the fun table. What happened to you girls?"

 _Flashback:_

 _Hera, Hanna, Aria, Spencer and Emily were surrounding Alison in Emily's bedroom as she tried on the latest dress her mother bought her. They giggled loudly as Ali threw over a bunch of clothes onto her bed, and each girl snatched an apparel to try on when Alison suddenly screamed._

 _The girls watched in bewilderment as Alison angrily stalked over to the window and stared directly ahead at the neighbor's window._

" _I see you! Oh, my god, I can't believe it," she shrieked._

" _Who was it, Ali? What did you see?" asked a shaken Emily._

 _Alison whirled around to face Emily and the rest of the girls and spoke with venom in her voice, "He was in that tree, spying on us! I am so creeped out!"_

" _Who was it?" Spencer urged._

" _It was that perv, Toby Cavanaugh," she replied._

" _Are you sure?" Aria hesitated, folding her arms around herself as though that action would preserve her modesty._

" _Yes, I'm sure!" Alison growled out, her eyes flashing with disgust, "He was right there! I bet he saw us all naked."_

" _What like a peeping Tom," Hera sneered out the window, keeping an arm protectively around her freaked out twin._

" _Should we tell someone?" Aria asked the girls, her eyes beseeching Alison's._

 _But Alison decided on something else. She formed a different plan and made sure the girls followed her outside as she grabbed a few stink bombs she had stolen from her older brother's room, and the six girls crept towards the Cavanaugh's garage door under the silence of the night._

 _Aria was unsure as she grabbed Alison's wrist and said, "Are we sure he's not in there?"_

 _Alison glared at her, "He's not, okay? You've got the lighter, right Spencer?" she stared at said girl, who nodded obediently and wagged the lighter that sat in her hand._

" _Let's wait a second," Emily nervously stalled; in fact, other than Alison, the other five weren't confident in playing out Alison's plan. "I don't want to do this," Emily continued after a few seconds of silence._

" _Fine. Go back. You're on your own," Alison sneered venomously at her, making Emily recoil._

 _Hera's eyes flashed with anger, "No need to be a bitch, Ali! Emily's right. We should just call the cops; there are many things that could go wrong with your harebrained scheme!"_

 _Alison shifted her glare to Hera, who didn't back down – from all the girls, Hera and Spencer were the only two that would dare stand up to Alison and challenge her._

" _What's the fun in that? Girls, Toby Cavanaugh is a freak, and we need to teach him a lesson. If he thinks he can come and spy on us while we're in your bedroom, Emily, he needs to know that his little domain is no longer a safe hideout," Alison then shivered as her eyes flickered over to the garage, "Who knows what he does in there all day, that little freak."_

" _Are you sure that it was Toby?" Spencer asked yet again._

 _Alison was frustrated with the girls' continuously questioning her, "Yes! And it's a stink bomb, for God's sakes!" she now looked exasperated; "We're not nuking the place. Now, let's do it. Give me a lighter."_

 _The girls had no choice but to admit defeat as Spencer handed out the lighter and watched as Alison lit and then threw a couple of bombs into the garage. However, the sounds of an explosion wasn't what filled the night air; a loud terrified, hair-raising scream joined the loud bang, and Alison's face had suddenly drained of all color, turning pale as a sheet as she ran back over to join the other girls._

" _Ali, what did you do?" Spencer gasped in fear._

" _Come on, let's get out of here," was all Alison said, her voice laced with desperation and terror. She shoved the girls inside the house, "Let's go!"_

Five cellphones chimed, awakening the girls from the current flashback they were reliving of the night that haunted each and every one of the liars, but none of them reached out for their phones, fearing it would be a text from 'A'.

Jenna grabbed the nearest phone and slid it over to Spencer. With complete calm and casualness, she said, "Aren't you gonna get that?"

In turn, one by one, the liars opened the text, and blanched; **If only she could see how guilty you look … -A**

 ***PLL***

After returning home from school, Hera spent her time catching up on some homework before video chatting with Amanda, one of her best friends from California.

Hanna was down with her boyfriend Sean Ackard – the dude that Hanna has been crushing on for what seemed like forever; Hera was happy to hear that her twin got the guy she wanted. Hearing the sound of her mother's heels followed by a door slamming signaled her arrival, and Hera decided to join them downstairs.

"Sean … please tell your dad we really have been trying to make it to church, but I've been working on the weekends," Ashley smiled over at Sean. It must be awkward dating the pastor's son and never attending his sermons once.

"Oh, yeah, no. I'll let him know Mrs. Marin. But it's okay. I mean, he understands," Sean shrugged with a wide smile as the doorbell rang, "He works on the weekends too."

"Cute preacher humor," Hera snorted announcing her presence as their mom went to see who was at the door.

Sean snapped his neck to smile timidly at Hera though with a small amount of hesitation, "Hey, Hera. Long time," he chuckled nervously. Hanna smiled affectionately at her boyfriend and rubbed his back supportively – for some reason, Sean always felt awkward around both Alison and Hera; admittedly Ali was scary, but Hera … she didn't get it.

"You too, Sean," Hera smiled sweetly. Leaning in, she held eye contact with her sister's boyfriend and said, "So, I've been away when you two finally hooked up, that means you missed the protective older sister speech. You break my sister's heart, and I break your neck, got it?"

Hanna's eyes danced with amusement and gratitude, and Sean flinched slightly, but when he spoke, it oozed with confidence, "Don't hurt Hanna, got it." He looked up at Hanna and smiled at her, "But I wouldn't want to anyways."

Hanna squealed and planted a kiss on his cheek as Hera regarded them with amusement, "Good. Just so we're clear."

At that moment, Ashley walked in with Darren trailing behind her, "Look who stopped by for dinner," she said with fake cheer. Her eyes meaningfully connected with both a stupefied Hera and an angry Hanna.

Darren had on a charming smile as he lifted the bags in both hands to the girls, "I brought Thai takeout."

Ashley hinted to Hanna that it was time for Sean to leave, and the Marin girls had an awkward dinner with Darren. Hera kept shooting glares at the Detective, who was seemingly unaffected by them as he carelessly ate and struck a conversation with Ashley.

"No taking calls during dinner, Hera," Ashley scolded her as Hera's phone beeped with a message. Ashley was totally oblivious to the nervous glances her daughters shared upon hearing the phone, but Darren wasn't, and his eyes narrowed in on Hera as she innocently grabbed her phone and said, "It's just a text mom, not a call."

 **Seems the Marin women cannot escape Wilden's charm.**

 **Careful Hera, Hanna might be his next victim. –A**

Hanna's voice broke Hera from her trance, "Anyone we know?" Hanna radiated extreme calm, but inside, her heart was beating loudly with alarm, and the implication of it being 'A' was there.

Sneaking a peak, Hera noticed Darren's trained eye was focused solely on her, awaiting her response. Hera shrugged and lied convincingly as she casually shrugged, "Nah, just a friend from Cali. I'll answer her later."

Thankfully, Hanna seemed to believe her and the four of them continued having dinner as though nothing had happened – well, except for Hera.

 ***PLL***

Hanna and Mona were leaving the mall with many shopping bags when Hanna noticed Detective Wilden stood across the street staring at them. Excusing herself, Hanna went over and accosted him with rage etched all over her features.

"Are you spying on me?" Hanna spat at him with clenched fists.

Darren leaned against his car, perfectly relaxed, "Just doing my job."

"Look, I'll pay for the sunglasses. I'll pick up trash on the highway. I'll do whatever it takes, but I want you to leave my mother alone," Hanna said in aggravation.

Darren smirked, "You see, the thing is, Hanna, I don't care if you were drinking the night Alison went missing. What I care about is you and your pretty little friends knowing who killed her."

Hanna blanched; how did he know they were drinking? And did he actually think one of them killed Ali?

"What?" her voice came out in a whisper.

"Your mom may be hot, Hanna, but she's not hot enough to make that go away –"he was cut off by a familiar voice, and both he and Hanna turned to stare at Hera who was obliviously arguing with someone on the phone at close distance.

"Screw you! It has nothing to do with that and you know it," Hera growled, not knowing that she was being overheard as the person yelled into her ear. "It was time for me to leave … don't bring that up, damn it!"

Hanna frowned at her sister; she seemed very tensed and pissed off with whoever was on the other line.

"You promised –"Hera scowled, apparently cut off by the person on the other line. "Ugh! I _hate_ you!" she snatched the phone from her ear and hung up on the person's face. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights when her eyes finally connected with Hanna and Darren.

"Who was that?" Hanna asked curiously, for a moment forgetting her beef with the Detective.

"No one, Hanna. What's going on here?" Hera initiated, her eyes flickering at the two of them, A's last text unexpectedly flashing across her mind.

"Just an innocent chat with your sister," Darren replied, his eyes dancing with mischief.

"Are you sure you're oka-"

"Go home Hanna!" Hera snarled out, interrupting her sister. She didn't want to talk about her phone call. "I'll meet you there." When Hanna stood rooted to her spot, Hera yelled, " _Now!_ "

"Fine, fine. Geez, relax," Hanna grumbled, turning around and making her way back to Mona.

"Stay away from my sister, Darren," Hera hissed once Hanna was out of earshot.

Darren smirked in amusement, "Are you jealous? Don't worry, your mother is enough … for now," his eyes challenged her, and Hera didn't fail him as she came back with a response.

"One damn sunglasses, Darren! You've done worse that shoplifting a freakin' piece of sunglasses in your days! Leave us alone!"

Darren inched closer to Hera, making her involuntarily take a step back, "You see Hera, the thing is, I don't want to. I enjoy seeing you on a daily basis," he winked. Opening the door to the front seat of his car, he called back, "See you soon."

Watching Darren drive away, Hera couldn't help but feel the formation of a pit in her stomach. With Darren regularly making house calls, it was very clear to Hera that A wasn't the only problem in her life now.

 **A/N:** **Hope you liked this chapter, working on chapter 3 already.**

 **The poll for what to do with Darren Wilden is still up; let me know if you want him to be an ass or make him good, adding more of him to the story and not die.**

 **R &R.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **To all my avid readers, I am gifting you with another chapter in one day. Hope you enjoy chapter 3 my lovelies.**

 **Hera Marin – Candice Swanepoel.**

 **Chad Delray – Matt Bomer.**

 **Chapter 3:** **To Kill A Mocking Girl:**

The five liars trudged through the woods near the kissing rock, avoiding insects and thorns and moving forward through the many offending branches that stood in their paths. Hera and Hanna were overheard grumbling with annoyance; the Marin twins weren't really the outdoorsy type of girls, and for the hundredth time since Emily woke them up this morning with the idea of making a memorial for Ali, Hanna snapped, "Whose idea was this, again?"

"Emily's mom," was the direct reply from Spencer.

"The _shed_ was _me_ ," Emily negated with a pointed stare at Spencer, "My mom just said we should do something for us."

"And you picked the woods were we are completely isolated from civilization when we currently have a crazy psycho stalking us?" Hera shot off incredulously, eyeing the four other girls shift nervously; it was made obvious to Hera at that precise moment that they had completely blanked out about their 'A' problem.

Fidgeting slightly, Emily said, "It's five against one. I think we're safe."

Hanna spluttered and her hands were outstretched, batting away the darn insects that were gyrating around her, "Well, couldn't we do something _without_ mosquitoes?"

"They're not mosquitoes, they're _gnats_ ," Aria pointedly corrected her. Hanna stared back unamused as she batted a couple more away from her face, "Whatever!" she huffed, "They're small and annoying, _and_ they're flying up my nose."

"Well they're attracted to you perfume. And your hair product," pausing slightly, Spencer studied the blonde girl before adding, "And your lip gloss."

Hanna looked cross, and folded her arms with a huff, "So, what are you saying, I attract flies? Because Hera has the same amount of products on herself."

" _Gnats_ ," Aria repeated in the background.

Hera scoffed, "No, no. You're not alone Han. I'm just not incessantly complaining about them," she smirked. Hanna stuck her tongue out at her sister as Aria and Spencer laughed. Emily however, was squinting ahead looking unsure, and she mumbled, "Why do I feel like this is the wrong way?"

Spencer shook her head in contradiction, "No, this is it. I remember that tree. It's the halfway point. There's 136 steps left to the shed," she said firmly.

"How super specific of you, Spence," Hera grumbled in annoyance; she wanted nothing more than to leave these stupid woods – she preferred jogging over hiking.

Emily had been scrutinizing Spencer ever since she made her observations, "Have you been out here since … Alison?"

"Me? _No_. No way," Spencer denied frantically, slightly defensive.

"You guys, it's not that weird. I mean, we came out here in the eighth grade like, every day … even after," Hanna reminded them with a slight roll of her eyes.

Spencer sighed loudly, "I think this is the totally wrong place to do this – whatever you call it … shrine."

"It's not a shrine," Emily argued adamantly, "It's just a place to remember Alison. What's wrong with that?" Emily was getting annoyed with all the complaints the other girls were making. Till now, Aria was the only silent one.

"Doing it way out here makes it look like we have something to hide," Spencer pointed out nervously.

"You're worried about what other people think?" Emily asked in disbelief. In her opinion, she didn't care what the others thought; she only cared about doing something nice for her dead best friend.

"Well aren't you?" Spencer snapped defensively. "Do you really want to give that creepy Detective more reasons to question us?"

At the mention of Darren, Hanna fidgeted uncomfortably and kept her mouth shut. Hera on the other hand, bristled and snapped, "Who cares what Darren thinks! We haven't done anything wrong!"

The girls snapped their heads toward Hera, mouths held agape and their attention waxed. Spencer was the first of the four to organize her scrambled thoughts, "Since when is Detective Wilden, _Darren_?"

 _Shit_ , Hera inwardly cursed at her slip up.

"Do you _know_ him?" Aria gasped. Hanna and Emily were both staring bewilderly at Hera who was currently twitching uncomfortably and searching for the perfect, convincing little fib.

She concluded that denial was the best option at the moment. Scoffing, Hera said, "I know him just like you do. That's his name isn't it? Much shorter and easier than constantly calling him 'creepy Detective guy'."

Hanna didn't look the least bit convinced with her sister's response unlike the other three, and decided to talk about it with her in private, when the others weren't around.

"Hanna, why are you so quiet?" Emily wondered. Disconnecting her eyes from her twin, she sassed, "I'm trying to keep the bugs in my nose and out of my mouth."

"You're allowed to have an opinion on this," Emily said gently.

"You want my opinion? I say we hold off and remember her 'til we know for sure she's not still here," Hanna blurted out, throwing both hands up in the air.

"What?" the four liars gasped incredulously, their eyes settled warily on the adamant blonde.

"What are you talking about?" Aria frowned in confusion.

"Han, Ali is _dead_ ," Hera cautiously reminded her sister, her face resembling one that feared for Hanna's mental state.

"Hanna, they _found_ her _body_ ," Spencer adamantly added.

"Stop," Aria's voice trembled and she rubbed her arms, "I'm officially scared. Can we not …"

"You know, _you_ asked my opinion," Hanna pointed out heatedly, "I _don't_ believe she's really gone."

"That's before we found out you were going mental," Hera snapped angrily. She didn't like where her sister's thoughts were going. "We went to her funeral!" Spencer yelled in disbelief, staring at Hanna as though she were crazy.

"Yeah, and when we left we all got a message from her," Hanna cynically informed them.

"It wasn't her. Someone is messing with us," Emily pointed out.

"And 'A' seems to have made a number of you, Hanna! 'A' isn't Ali!" Hera said, not knowing how to act and convince her sister otherwise.

Hanna rounded up on Hera, " _How do you know_? And what about all those nasty messages? I mean, how does this 'A' person know stuff only Ali knew?" she demanded.

"Okay this conversation is giving me a hive," Aria mentioned, rubbing her arms harder than she did before when the argument first started.

"That's a bite. Mosquito," Hanna sassed back. There was silence for a while between the five girls, before Emily turned to Spencer and softly asked, "Spencer, have you gotten any more messages?"

"Haven't you?" Spencer shot back, just as the sounds of branches rustling reverberated in the air around the liars, making them all snap their heads towards the direction it came from in unison.

"What was that? Did you hear that?" Emily's voice shook with fear, her eyes widening slightly.

"Yes, I heard that. I'm standing right next to you," Aria hissed.

Spencer waved a hand dismissively, "It's probably a rabbit."

But the other girls weren't easily convinced. Hanna took a tiny step forward and called out, "Hello?"

"It's a rabbit, Hanna," Spencer snapped aggravated, "It's not gonna answer you."

"Can we just get to the shed?" Emily asked the girls, wanting nothing more than to create a large distance between them and whatever was out there. But before the liars could respond, multiple branches began rustling and it was getting closer.

"See Spencer!" Hera whispered loudly, "That was definitely _not_ a rabbit! Someone is out there, probably following us." Spencer was dumbfounded as she grabbed on to Aria's wrist.

Emily nodded in agreement, "Let's turn around –"

The sound of five cellphones chiming together, disrupted her, and slowly, they stared wide-eyed at the message;

 **Heads up BFFs. It's open season on liars and I'm hunting …**

 **-A**

"Let's get out of here," Hera demanded in a whisper, and the liars held no disagreement as they bolted out of the woods, and away from 'A'.

 ***PLL***

"Morning."

The twins stared incredulously at Darren Wilden as he cooked breakfast in the Marin's kitchen wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, demonstrating his packs and abs proudly.

"Where's our mother?" Hanna demanded, untangling her arm from Hera's as she moved to sit on the counter in front of Darren. Hera took a few steps forward but made no move to sit down and join them.

Darren flashed a smirk especially at Hera. He turned his head to face Hanna and answered nonchalantly, "I guess she ran upstairs for somethin'. I'm trying to figure out what makes this stuff spreadable. You want a waffle or somethin'?"

Hera growled lowly at that; waffles were her favorite, and she knew Darren had purposely asked that.

"No. Thanks," Hanna mumbled, her head snapping over to Hera when her phone rang, blinking with an unopened message.

"Your loss. Hera?" Darren smirked at Hera, but she wasn't paying attention as her eyes were glued to the text she had just received.

 **Seems your mother is getting hot and heavy with a Detective.**

 **I'm sensing Déjà vu here. Better hope they took safety precautions.**

 **We wouldn't want another mistake, would we? –A**

"Hera? _Hera_?"

Hera could hear her sister's voice in the background, but it seemed muffled to her as her hands began shaking uncontrollably and a teardrop fell onto her screen. She didn't even realize she was crying. A hand shook her shoulder, and she looked up into identical blue ones, but blue eyes that weren't hardened with grief and hardship.

She managed to delete the text before her hands turned numb and it dropped from her vice grip, clattering on the ground. "Hera, Hera, talk to me! Who was that? What's wrong?" Hanna rambled on, question after question, not giving Hera a chance to answer.

Icy blue eyes flickered over to navy orbs that were staring at her in a mixture of bewilderment and concern; she felt nauseous. Tugging herself from her sister's grip, Hera dashed over to the downstairs bathroom and dropped in front of the toilet, expelling all the contents from her stomach as tears blurred her vision.

No one knew her secret; _no one!_ Not even Alison and that was a miraculous feat in itself. How did 'A' know? How did 'A' know something about her, something that no one in Rosewood knew?

Darren stood rooted in his spot, his eyes focused on the bathroom, the door left ajar by Hanna. He watched as Hanna knelt down and embraced her sister tightly; Hera's uncontrollable sobbing filled the Marin household and Ashley ran downstairs, ignoring the frozen Detective and making a beeline to her daughters.

Hera removed herself from her mother and sister's embrace. She didn't spare Darren a glance, and ignored everyone calling her back as she grabbed her purse and slammed the door shut behind her. She jumped into her car and drove around town, trying to forget about 'A' and the unbidden memories that the text recovered.

When Hera finally arrived Rosewood High, she had already missed half her classes. She was passing the principal's office, when the door opened and Darren and Hanna walked out. Hanna rushed over to Hera's side and engulfed in a hug, her face etched with worry.

"Hera, a word," Darren spoke in a tone that brooked no argument, and Hanna glared at him angrily, "Why only question us? Do you have like, a thing for the Marins or something?"

"Just a follow up. Inside, now," Darren ordered. Hanna opened her mouth to argue more when her phone rang, shutting her up as she read the content of her message.

"What do you want Detective Wilden?" Hera asked weakly as she sat down on the offered chair. She was in no mood to argue with Darren, the text from 'A' had already drained her.

"Detective Wilden? What happened to Darren?" Darren mused with his signature smirk etched on his lips, but his eyes shone with concern as they drank in her waned state.

Lifting an eyebrow, Hera snorted, "I was under the assumption that you're talking to me on police business."

"Actually," Darren shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "I wanted to ask what happened this morning. You were perfectly fine until you received a message."

Hera clammed up instantly, "It was nothing. Forget it."

" _Nothing_?" Darren repeated in disbelief, "If it was _nothing_ , then you wouldn't have reacted so badly. If it was _nothing_ you wouldn't have thrown your guts out into the toilet and shake the house with your crying. Not to mention, arrive late to school."

"You're sleeping with my mom, Darren," she hissed venomously, her eyes flaring up with anger, "You lost all rights to act like a concerned boyfriend!"

"You skipped town, Hera!" Darren yelled, suddenly slamming his hand on the table, a loud bang where they connected resonated around the room.

There was mutual silence between them for a while as Hera opened and closed her mouth countless times, unable to let anything out. Standing up, she darted out the door, leaving a furious Darren behind.

"Hera, what happened?" Hanna called after her; Hanna had apparently decided to wait on her sister, her eyes widening when she noticed Darren storm out right after her sister and leave the school, his face contorted with fury.

Hera sheltered herself in a bathroom stall as tears poured down her face at an uncontrollable pace. A loud knock banged against the door, making Hera jump from her place on the floor, and Hanna voice followed, "I know you're in there, Hera. Open up!"

When Hera didn't budge, Hanna sighed in exasperation, "You know that I will just keep on knocking until you open up, Her."

Sighing in defeat, Hera stretched one arm to unlock the stall, resolutely staying in her place. Hanna squeezed inside and locked the door behind her before she took a spot on the ground beside her twin and stared at her with an inexpressible emotion in her eyes as she took in her tears and ragged state.

When Hanna finally spoke, Hera didn't expect in a million years for those very words to leave her mouth, "Ali wasn't the only one seeing an older guy, was she?"

Identical sapphire eyes connected; one settled in determination and the other was weighing the answer.

Finally, Hera nodded her head. Hanna sucked in a breath and once she exhaled, she firmly said, "It was Wilden, right?"

Hera's eyes widened, and she croaked out, "How did you know?" Hanna sighed and took out her phone from her purse, and after scrolling down, she handed it over.

 **I made poor Hera cry. You want answers?**

 **Here's a riddle: Mama Marin isn't the only one to enjoy steamy sex with a Detective. –A**

"That bitch," Hera muttered bitterly.

"Okay. I could go on and on by saying gross, and ask 'how can you sleep with that creep'. _But_ , as a worried sister … why didn't you tell me?"

Hera sighed; with her baggy eyes fixed on Hanna, she said, "I didn't tell anyone, Han. I mean, I was 15 and dating a 22-year-old who was in the force. The others would have overreacted. Ali only found out because she caught us together during one of Eric Kahn's college parties that he threw; I didn't even know she was invited. I went along with Darren."

"Yeah, I see what you meant when you told us Alison has her own way of discovering our secrets," it was Hanna's turn to mutter bitterly. After a long minute of silence, Hanna asked, "What happened between you two? I'm assuming you broke up. _Did he hurt you_?" Hanna's eyes flashed with rage at the image of Detective Jackass breaking her sister's heart. Maybe Hera ditched town because he dumped her …

Hera frantically shook her head, "No, no. It wasn't like that. Actually, I–I am the one at fault here, believe it or not. You weren't the only one I skipped town on without saying goodbye, Hanna," she guiltily informed her.

Hanna's eyes widened in realization, and if she were being honest with herself – she didn't expect that. She honestly thought Wilden broke her sister's heart … he was a creep after all.

"It all makes more sense now. The way you talk to him, the way he looks at you," at Hera's confusing stare, Hanna laughed, "Oh come on, Her. He stares at you, like _, a lot_. And this morning when you left, he was really concerned. He was actually nice and not a creep for once when you bailed, and his eyes would keep drifting over to the door as though he were hoping you'd suddenly walk in. And when he called me to his office, he asked more about you than Ali's death."

"Yeah, well. I'm not proud of whatever happened between Darren and I. We weren't exactly in love, it was more of a beneficial relationship," Hera grumbled.

Hanna's eyebrows hit her hairline, "Maybe for you. But something tells me that Wilden feels differently. … was it a text from 'A' this morning?"

"No, something happened with my friend in Cali. Forget about it," Hera dismissed immediately as she stood up and offered a hand to her sister. "Don't tell the girls, yeah?"

The twins left the bathroom with their arms looped and Hanna held out her pinky making Hera laugh. Hera and Hanna always took each other's secrets to the grave and sealed it with a pinky promise.

"But you know that 'A' will probably out you, like with me," Hanna casually told her, but there was a warning in her voice. Hera nodded, "I know. But for now, I don't want anyone to know."

"What's going on?" Hanna asked once the two sisters joined Spencer, Aria and Emily in the corridor.

"We've been trying to get ahold of you. What happened in there, and Hera where have you been?" Aria frantically asked the twins.

Hanna shrugged, "Nothing just the same old stupid questions."

"You were in there for an hour, Hanna. What else did he ask?" Spencer demanded worriedly.

"I finished early, but I ran into Hera and we got to talking in the bathroom. What's with all the questions, Spence, you need to relax, there's nothing he could pin us with," Hanna blabbered.

"Well, why were you late to school, Hera?" Emily switched her gaze to the unusually quiet blonde.

"I got some calls from my friends in Cali," Hera informed her smoothly.

"You missed the surprise. Jenna isn't the only one that got back to Rosewood. Toby Cavanaugh did too," Spencer rushed out to say. Hera's face drained and her mouth gaped wide open.

"Are you shitting me? What is this, like some reunion now that Ali is gone?" she snapped.

"Your guess is as good as ours," Hanna mumbled; Hanna perked up suddenly, "Okay, you four, tomorrow night we are all going to Noah's party." Hanna left no room for a rebuttal as she dragged Hera away to discuss what they were going to wear for the party.

 ***PLL***

"Wow! Hera, you look gorgeous! What's the occasion?"

Ashley Marin's eyes glittered when Hera walked into the kitchen where she and Darren were getting ready to have dinner.

Hera was dressed in a vibrant red asymmetric dress with a wrap in the front and it was a bodycon dress accentuating her hourglass figure. Also, the dress had a plunge neckline which made her cleavage pop. The red of the dress made her tanned skin glow but it clashed with her red tips so she lifted her hair up into a high-volume ponytail. On her feet, she wore red strappy cutout sandals on block heel, and was around 5".

"Party at Noah Kahn's," was all Hera said as she put on her earrings. Darren couldn't detach his eyes from roaming Hera's body, his eyes lingering on every curve before settling in on her lusciously red, pouty lips, and a sudden feeling of jealousy overtook him at the image of her wrapped around some teenager at Kahn's party.

"Where'd you get the dress from? I've never seen it before," Ashley mused, her eyes conveying appraisal in her fashion sense. Hera smirked, "California has the best stores, mom."

"Mm-hmm," Ashley smiled when Hanna finally came down the stairs, "How are you getting home? If there's any drinking, I will pick you up."

"Or I could take you, if you don't mind riding in the squad car," Darren commented solemnly; he didn't want Hera leaving with some guy if he could help it. Noticing the three Marin women staring at him in shock and awe, he took on a joking tone, "I wouldn't use the cuffs."

"We'll be fine. Thanks," Hanna told him, her eyes glinting almost knowingly and an amused smile curving her lips. Darren blinked; he now knew that Hanna was informed about him and Hera. He could do nothing but stare at Hera's retreating figure as she left for the party, and the insane feeling of jealousy overwhelmed him once again.

"He is still _so_ into you, Her," Hanna giggled as they were nearing the Kahns.

Rolling her eyes, Hera's grip tightened on the steering wheel and she flippantly said, "He's sleeping with our mom, and I ditched him without a word or even a heads up. Trust me, Hanna, the only thing Darren feels for me, is hate," she concluded as she parked the car.

Hanna wasn't convinced, and her face showed it. Slamming the passenger door shut, she said, "Whatever you say Hera, but trust me. As your twin sister slash best friend, Darren Wilden is currently very, very, _very_ jealous."

"Yeah, I'll take your word for it," Hera mumbled as the twins entered the fray of drunken teenagers and groping hands.

After an hour of mingling, Noah made his way over to Hera and began flirting with her with the infallible Kahn charm, "You seemed to have grown in the sexy department," he winked at her, his eyes straying far too long on her breasts.

"Was that a compliment?" Hera asked him dryly. A hand suddenly snaked around her waist, and she turned to see that it belonged to Chad.

"Noah, go find your own girl, and keep your eyes away from mine," Chad warned him. Noah slinked off with a smirk and his hands held up in a surrender motion as he made his way over to some skanky brunette at the end of the hall.

" _I am not your girl_ ," Hera seethed through gritted teeth, yanking herself from his ironclad grip. Hera knew that Chad wouldn't dare make a scene in public, and she put her faith into that, gathering all her courage to extricate herself from his close presence.

Chad's grey eyes glinted sinisterly. Crooking his neck forward so that his lips nearly brushed her earlobe, he snarled, "Coming to a party dressed like that, knowing that I'd be here. You're just begging for trouble aren't you? Or perhaps whoring around your services; is that it?"

Hera recoiled backwards as though she had been slapped, and glared venomously at her ex-boyfriend, "If I haven't already made myself clear, Chad, we were broken up long before I left town. Keep your hands and your comments far away from me."

And without another word, before Chad could grab her, she buried herself into the throng of teenagers and began her search for Hanna, Spencer, Aria and Emily. She halted in her steps when her phone rang, and her heart began thudding loudly, almost threating to explode; breathing a sigh of relief when she glanced at the text.

 **We're outside near the garden. –Aria**

Just as Hera was about to tuck her phone into her purse, it rang with yet another message and her blood ran cold;

 **Damage control Hooker Hera. –A**

 _Bitch!_ Hera grumbled to herself, making her way quickly over to her friends and Hanna who were in the middle of an intense conversation that Emily was sharing.

"He tackled Ben? What was Toby even doing in the girls' locker room?" Aria gasped, her eyes fixated on Emily.

"Why are you shocked? Toby's a perv. We caught him peeping through the windows, watching us undress," Spencer reminded her in a 'hello? Obvious much' tone.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Hera muttered, taking a place between Aria and Spencer, "Anyways, what's up? What are we talking about here?"

"Toby Cavanaugh got into a fight with Ben over Emily," Aria updated her, smiling at her fashion choice.

"It wasn't _over_ me," Emily negated, "God. Look, he just … saved me," she ended weakly.

"From what, himself? Spencer snapped. Hera and Hanna scrunched their nose up in mutual disgust.

Aria scrutinized Emily, "If we hadn't asked you about Ben, would you have told us about this?" Aria's question had Hera, Hanna and Spencer study Emily as well, awaiting her response.

When Emily didn't answer, Spencer took it upon herself to relay some words of Spencer-Hastings-Wisdom, "Toby is _not_ a good guy, Emily. He could _seriously_ be _dangerous_."

"If he's such a bad guy, why'd he take the fall for us?" Emily argued back heatedly.

"Is this another secret? Do you know something we don't?" Aria demanded upon noticing the knowing-glint in Spencer's eyes.

Hera's phone rang with another text just as Hanna shouted out in exasperation, "Guys, why don't we just, like chill, and talk about this somewhere else? When we're alon –"the four girls stared at Hera with trepidation as she read the received text.

 **I'm by your car. Meet me?**

"It's not from 'A'. I gotta, I gotta go," Hera informed the girls, waving at them and heading over to her car only to be intercepted by Chad.

"Let go of me, Chad! _God_ , how many times do I have to tell you?!" she growled, freezing when the familiar scent of whiskey fanned her face. Previous memories unwillingly flashed across her mind. Chad was always volatile when he was under the influence of alcohol.

"You little skank! You're _mine_! How many times must I tell you!" he growled, his hands imbedded around her waist tightly and his tongue grazing her neck. Hera knew that he was leaving bruised handprints on her waist. She tried kneeing him in the balls, but his other hand reached out swiftly and he gripped it tightly, eliciting a painful scream from her lips.

Hera was trapped, she had no way of getting him off her and they were currently isolated. Hera's only saving grace was if Darren was able to hear her. She decided to take her chances and screamed, "GET OFF ME!"

"YOU BITCH!" Chad growled loudly; he heard footsteps and he knew that he would have to give up … for now. Sneering down at her, his eyes were bloodshot as he hissed venomously, "We'll continue with this later. You. Are. _Mine_. Hera. Remember that!" and without another word, he left without a trace.

"Hera? What the hell happened? I heard you scream," Darren rushed over to her and Hera breathed a sigh of relief. Never before had she ever been so grateful to Darren's presence. She may sound crazy, but she always felt comforted when he was around – he was a Detective after all, and that gun of his could come in handy.

"It was nothing, just some drunk guy," Hera brushed off his questions, unable to rat out Chad, because then all the other times he'd hurt her would come up.

"Nothing? You're crying, Hera," Darren scoffed as he lifted her up onto her feet. His navy blue eyes shone with concern, and his face instantly softened upon looking at the state she was in. She always managed to look beautiful, even with red, puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "Who was it? Give me a name?"

"You asked me to meet you here. What do you want?" Hera diverted his attention elsewhere, "Shouldn't you be with my mom?"

Darren chuckled, a hand brushing through his hair, "Yeah, I kinda pissed her off. Actually, I-I couldn't stop thinking of you this evening." Hera was staggered and her eyes widened as she took in his words, Darren I –"

Hera was caught off from whatever she was about to say when soft lips captured hers, and she froze. His lips were so familiar, and she was tempted to rehash the past and kiss him back. Slowly, her lips involuntarily moved with his and his tongue flittered over her lips, begging for entry. Surrendering to his ministrations, Hera parted her lips and Darren wasted no time in plunging his tongue inside and their tongues danced together.

Darren could taste tequila, chocolate and strawberries and he felt like he was in heaven. God, he missed doing this with Hera … he missed being with her and holding her in his arms. His hands snaked around her waist and he molded her body with his. The sound of her moans awoke something in him, and he felt himself go hard.

"No," Hera whispered, jerking away from Darren, her fingers ghosting over her puffy lips, "Darren, we-we can't. You're sleeping with my mom, and I'm a suspect in-in a murder investigation."

"I don't care about Ashley," Darren spoke vehemently, his hands reaching out for her, "And you're not a murderer. I don't believe you killed her."

Hera shook her head sorrowfully, more tears joining the dried-up ones and she retreated to her car, "Darren, we-we can't. Just forget about me, about us."

Darren stood rooted to his spot as he watched Hera drive off from the Kahn's. He wasn't about to give up on her, not like before.

Hera wiped away her tears, her eyes focused on the rearview mirror, noticing that Darren had yet to leave. The message from 'A' replaying repeatedly in her head; nothing could happen between them, not like before.

Her fingers once again ghosted her lips where he had kissed her, and she knew it wouldn't be an easy feat.

 ***PLL***

The next day, the liars found themselves retreating back to the woods in the hopes of making Alison's memorial without any interruptions. Spencer was regaling the tale of the events that happened after Alison threw the stink bomb into the garage.

"Alison wanted us across the street so she could have it out with Toby. Ali had something on him," Spencer completed her tale, staring meaningfully at the other four.

"Besides being a total perv who peeped in our windows?" Hanna scoffed in disgust, kicking a pebble that lay in her path.

"Yeah, something way bigger, and she was threatening to tell everybody. _That's why_ he took the fall for us," Spencer said firmly.

"What else is new? Ali probably had a little black book filled with blackmailing material," Hera scowled; she loved Ali, but Hera couldn't stand her bitchiness, and if she were being honest, 'A' and Ali were similar in their ability to blackmail others.

Hanna nodded, "That's true. More like a big book, to fit all the secrets."

"Why are you waiting until now to tell us?" Aria asked Spencer.

"I don't know," Spencer shrugged, her eyes nervously flickering from one girl to the other, "Ali made me promise, and … I guess I was scared. I thought if we never talked about that night again, it would just go away."

"Well it's not going away. Not unless we toss our phones and join the Navy," Hanna ground out in a huff.

"Look, there are five of us and one freak sending messages. If we just talk to each other like this, I feel like it makes it easier to deal with everything," Emily divulged.

"I think Emily's right," Aria spoke ardently, smiling at Emily, "There's way too many secrets. We shouldn't do this in the middle of nowhere. We should do it where we can see it every day." Aria informed them about the memorial.

"You mean, like, somewhere in the school?" Hanna asked unsurely.

"No. In town," Aria told her, "We should ask if we can put a bench somewhere. Wait, and you know what?" Aria's eyes gleamed passionately as another idea struck her and she hurried to form the words coherently, "Whoever did this to her, if they're still in Rosewood, we should make them look at it every day, too."

Spencer noticed that Hanna looked off and unsure of the whole idea. "What, you hate the idea?"

"No," Hanna fervently shook her head, "No, I just … I had a rough night."

"Honey, you're preaching to the choir," Hera muttered, a subtle wince overcoming her as her bruised waist grazed a tree. She was correct in her assumption, and this morning she woke up to find her waist marked with Chad's fingerprints.

The sound of branches rustling reverberated around the liars, and they frantically began scoping the perimeters for the intruder as they ran towards the disturbance.

"Look!" both Hera and Hera yelled, pointing at something that looked out of place on the ground ahead.

Spencer frowned in thought as she bent down to pick it up, "Is it yours?" she asked Emily who shook her head.

The girls gasped in unison, horror etched on all their faces once Spencer turned the hand-woven bracelet around. It was tearing in places and there was a red blotch that suspiciously resembled dried blood.

Hera struggled to speak, but she didn't need to, for Aria had done it for her, " _Alison_."

The girls recalled it vividly as one of the six bracelet's Alison brought for her and the other five to constantly wear in reference to them being BFFs. The sun shone brightly, and reflected with the silver writing of Alison's name inscribed onto the bracelet.

 **A/N:** **For my readers that wanted more Hera/Hanna sisterly scenes, I added plenty. Darren Wilden, who expected that?**

 **More to come, hope you liked this chapter.**

 **R &R.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Hera Marin – Candice Swanepoel.**

 **Chad Delray – Matt Bomer.**

 **Chapter 4:** **Can You Hear Me Now?**

"I still can't believe you damaged Sean's car last night, Han," Hera directed incredulous eyes towards her twin.

"How angry was your mother for destroying Sean's car?" Emily asked curiously, chiming in.

Hanna grumbled in annoyance and yelled in exasperation, "I have _not_ destroyed and damaged the car," she huffed, "And everyone reacted very well to the situation."

"That's what you think," Hera scoffed in amusement.

The five liars were currently gathered around at the park, and had seated themselves on their favorite bench. Last night while Hera was with Darren, Hanna was trying to get Sean to finally seal the deal and have sex, but when he refused, Hanna grabbed his car keys and smashed his car in retaliation.

Aria relayed the girls back to the subject at hand; the memorial they were planning for Alison.

"So this is the city, just put the new bench and flowers will be planted and also there will be a gathering of remembrance," Aria informed them as she looked through some images on Spencer's laptop for some ideas.

"From memory?" Spencer inquired.

"Yeah messages, photos in memory of Alison," Emily listed off.

"Yeah, nice tombstone," Hanna said snarkily.

"Hanna!" Emily, Aria and Spencer scolded her.

Rolling her eyes, Hera couldn't help but point out a certain something, "Look, not to burst your bubble and all, girls, but not everyone liked Alison. She wasn't exactly well-loved by everyone in this town, especially those from high school, so there might not be a big crowd coming to remember her."

The other four grudgingly nodded in acceptance; even though Alison had her major bitch moments, and they didn't even escape her wrath, she was still their best friend and they missed and loved her terribly.

"You know," Hanna changed the subject to one of greater importance, "I have Alison's bracelet since the day we found it in the woods and I _do not_ want this responsibility."

She held out the bracelet to the other girls, and Aria instantly recoiled, "I do not want it."

Hanna waved it again in their faces and shrieked, "One of you should take it, I'm serious!" Spencer huffed and snatched the bracelet from Hanna. Her eyes flickered to the four other liars and she snapped in disbelief, "Look at you, a bunch of babies! Anyway there is nothing that 'A' can say to embarrass us without endangering this too."

"You say that now, but 'A' is crazy," Hera mumbled.

"You sure it's 'it'?" Hanna asked, completely off topic.

Spencer scoffed and dismissively said, "She or he, it makes no difference."

"Shim," Hera smirked, and Hanna giggled and winked at her sister while the others stared at the Marin twins in exasperation. Suddenly, Spencer randomly grabbed her laptop and began typing furiously on it.

Aria frowned in puzzlement, "What are you doing?"

Without separating her eyes from the laptop, Spencer responded, "I will block all messages from people I do not know. Chat, SMS, email … the total. Fuck you 'A'. _Voila_!" she grinned triumphantly once she was done and turned to the four other girls, "Who's next?"

Hera wasted no time in grabbing the laptop and once she was done, directly handed it over to Emily with a smirk on her face. Looking up, she fanned herself dramatically when Mr. Fitz passed by riding his bike.

"Ooh, la la," Hera purred, causing the other four to glance upwards and laugh.

"And here is a lovely rider whose name begins with 'F'," Spencer laughed, bumping her shoulder with Hera's.

All of a sudden, Hanna yelled out cheerfully, "Hello, Mr. Fitz!" Mr. Fitz turned and waved at the girls with an awkward smile plastered on his face.

"What form, Mr. Fitz," Spencer said admiringly, her eyes roaming the hot teacher's body. Aria was extremely uncomfortable and grabbed the laptop from Emily to drown herself in something else and not think of the fact that her best friends were admiring their English teacher that she hooked up with.

"Now, there are some teachers we would _love_ to see riding a bike and salivate all over, and there are some that would cause us to gouge our eyeballs out," Hera smirked as she concentrated on the muscles bulging from Mr. Fitz until he vanished from their sight.

"Ugh, like Mr. Glory," Hanna wrinkled her nose in disgust, causing the other girls to make disgusting sounds as well, their faces scrunched up with repulsion.

"I refuse to see Mr. Glory in motion, that says it all," Emily instantly breathed out, shaking her head to remove the gruesome image.

"Hanna! It's your turn," Aria suddenly squealed and passed the laptop to Hanna who immediately began typing like a pro.

Spencer changed the subject as she glanced at Emily, "You've talked to Ben?" Hera and Aria stared at the brunette curiously while Hanna was still immersed in the laptop.

"I have nothing to say," Emily shrugged nonchalantly.

Hera whistled, "So that's it? It's over between you two?"

"It's nothing, I'm fine," Emily parroted in a monotone, and the girls mutually decided to drop the subject, especially since Emily looked very uncomfortable talking about Ben.

"It deserves a drum roll," Hanna chirpily informed the girls, her eyes dancing with glee, "Now 'A' can no longer reach us," she snapped the laptop shut and passed it over to Spencer.

Spencer sighed and closed her eyes with a dreamy look on her face, "You hear all these nice messages floating in the air all around us."

Aria grinned, "Yes, and none of them comes from 'A'."

"And that's a very good thing," Emily beamed. Hanna jumped excitedly in her seat, "Yes, this is great, out of sight, out of mind."

Hera was the picture of content as she said, "Now the bitch would have no choice but to leave us alone."

Suddenly the wind picked up, blowing harshly around the five liars and a flyer found its way to their feet. With a puzzled frown on her face, Aria bent down to pick it up, her hazel eyes widening once she glimpsed at it. She turned it over to face the four other girls, and they gasped at the sight.

It was one of the old missing flyers of Alison's smiling face and written crudely on it with red were the words, 'Ding Dong the Bitch is Dead.'

The girls frantically stared at their surroundings, scrutinizing if there was anything out of place before Aria crumpled it into a ball and they left … was there any way of escaping 'A'?

 ***PLL***

The liars were sitting on a table at school, listening to Spencer's woes about her family.

"Why did your parents not take you to New York with your sister? You deserve a little break too," Hanna grumbled at Spencer's defense and the unfair treatment.

"Yeah, I mean, Melissa doesn't have a crazy psycho stalking her under the name of her dead best friend," Hera pointed out sarcastically.

Spencer rolled her eyes, "I am the reason things didn't work out with her fiancé, remember?"

Oh right, so apparently, when Melissa brought her sexy, British, doctor fiancé, Wren to meet the parents, he ended up making out with Spencer and Melissa caught them, hence … the end of their engagement.

Spencer glanced up as Emily joined them and she smiled, "I like your scarf." They all nodded in agreement to the vibrant red scarf wrapped around her neck.

"Me too. You know red is my fav color!" Hera winked cheekily making Emily laugh and thank them.

"Really? Because the red car, and red highlights on your hair wasn't obvious enough," Hanna smirked sarcastically, causing their table to erupt with laughter and Hera to playfully stick her tongue out at each of them.

"Anyways, is it new?" Hanna asked Emily.

Emily shifted uncomfortably and shook her head; for some reason, she didn't want to tell the girls that her neighbor Maya St. Germain gifted it to her … it would definitely start an awkward conversation.

Hanna's phone suddenly rang, and the girls instinctively jumped, too used to being stalked by 'A' to relax and they forgot about blocking the creep for a second. Hanna rolled her eyes before she squealed, "Hera, its Dad! I'll be back."

"But I thought he hasn't spoken to any of you since he left the house?" Emily asked, looking questioningly at Hera who shrugged.

"Beats the hell outta me. All I can tell you is that from my part, we haven't spoken a word since I stole his credit card and left to Cali," Hera informed them nonchalantly; she would never forgive their father for leaving them and unlike Hanna, she wasn't thrilled in giving him a chance and catching up over tea and crumpets.

Suddenly Toby accidentally bumped into Emily and the girls gaped quietly, and fidgeted uncomfortably, waiting for him to pass. Toby ducked his head and mumbled, "Sorry," before he continued on his way.

"It may be 'A' you just bumped into," Aria hissed, her face totally freaked out.

"Damn! Will we ever be finished from 'A'?" Spencer snapped in aggravation.

Hera held out both hands in a calming gesture, "Chill. We just keep avoiding Toby and Jenna and we're good. Capish, girls?" They all nodded in unison.

"Yes, I think that is the wisest," Emily agreed.

A figure engulfed Hera from behind and a squeal resounded in her ear, before the familiar face of Hanna grinned at her, "Dad is coming over to take us out for dinner! Isn't that great?" Hanna was radiating excitement, and Aria, Spencer and Emily held their breaths, waiting for Hera to respond.

Not wanting to disappoint her twin, Hera plastered on a forced smile on her face and cheered, "Yay! Can't wait, Han." Once Hanna rushed off to find Mona, she groaned and faced the other girls, "Screw that! This night is going to suck!"

 ***PLL***

Hera was making her way to Rosewood High's parking lot when she noticed Chad stalking her. Her eyes widened and she rushed over to her car, thankful that her car was parked close to the front doors and hit the gas immediately, leaving Chad to stare after her with fury written all over his face.

 _Flashback:_

 _Eric Kahn threw a party since his parents were out of town and Ali had managed to score her and the girls invites, even though they were only thirteen._

" _Aria, there is Noah! Go over to him," Spencer giggled. Aria stared at Noah with star-struck eyes before making her way towards him. The girls grinned widely when the two became immersed in a conversation, and Hera went over to get a refill for her drink._

 _On her way, she bumped into someone really tall and strong arms instantly snaked around her waist holding her upright before she could fall backwards, "Sorry, I'm so sorr –"_

 _Hera's jaw dropped and her face turned as red as a tomato when she found herself staring into the entrancing green eyes of her biggest crush, Jason DiLaurentis, Ali's older brother. Hera had never felt so embarrassed in all her life as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish._

 _Jason scowled at her, "You really should watch were you're going," and with that, he let go of her as though she were toxic and Hera could have sworn she heard him mutter, 'damn Powerpuff girls'. Hera stared after him sadly; Jason called Ali's friends that, and he wasn't a huge fan of their constant presence around him and his friends, especially once Ali became a teenager and started turning bitchy and manipulative._

 _Hera has been in love with Jason ever since she turned twelve. She recalled when she was younger and they first became friends with Ali when they were six, Hera would always subconsciously gravitate towards Jason. Hera knew that Jason would only ever see her as his annoying little sister's best friend, and that fact hurt her deeply._

" _Oh my God, look at Jason and that skank," Alison sneered, the other girls except for Aria joining her near the alcohol stand. Hera tried suppressing the tears that were threatening to spill when her eyes connected with Jason, who was deeply absorbed with some pretty blonde girl, his tongue practically down her throat._

 _Ali passed over a bottle of vodka and stared at her with knowing eyes, "Drink up, Her." Hera wasted no time, ignoring the burning sensation in her throat and she heartily swallowed the strong liquor._

 _Later, Aria returned with Noah and his best friend, Chad, and the eight thirteen-year-olds began playing truth or dare with alcohol._

 _Halfway through the game, the bottle spun to face Chad and Ali, who suddenly had a sinister smirk on her face, and she said, "Chad, I dare you to start a heavy make out session with Hera in front of everyone. And I'm not talking about the PG shit either."_

 _Hera blushed scarlet as she gaped at her friend, "Ali! What the hell?"_

 _Alison leaned forward to whisper in her ear so that no one but her would be able to hear, "Chad is one of the hottest and richest guys in Rosewood. Don't think I was clueless to your pathetic crushing on my brother. Besides, it would make him totes jealous," she winked._

 _The mass of teenagers began wolf-whistling and jeering as Chad's hands roamed all over Hera's body, molding her into him and kissing her with as much passion he could muster. When they needed to breathe in air, Chad would ravage her neck, eliciting moans from her. Hera forgot the world around her, the people, and the party, all she cared about was kissing Chad back with everything she got._

 _She didn't know how much time had passed, but when they finally broke apart, Chad gave her a shit-eating grin and said, "So … how would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"_

 ***PLL***

Hera entered the foyer just as the doorbell rang dressed in an Alexander McQueen off the shoulder rose cropped top, paired with a high-waist peg-belted tapered trousers that was a shade darker than her top. On her feet, she wore angel-wing flat sandals with pink glitter that was open-toed. She had her hair let down styled in waves and a rose Louis Vuitton purse.

Ashley looked at her daughter questioningly, and Hera rolled her eyes; she knew her mother was wondering how she was able to afford such expensive clothes, and she wasn't in any rush to divulge.

She watched with distaste as Hanna and Tom hugged it out with loud exclamations before he turned to Hera, his eyes widening in shock, but a beaming smile on his face nevertheless. Hera gave him a stiff hug, and things got even more awkward when Tom told Ashley that he wanted to have dinner with Hera and Hanna alone.

Hera wanted to stay with their mom, but one look at Hanna's excited face, and she knew that it wouldn't be a possibility.

"This is a new car so it wouldn't bother you if I lead?" Tom jested as he walked them over to his car. Hanna froze in her spot, and stared at him in shock, "Hanna?"

"It's about Sean's car! Mom told you about it," Hanna seethed thinking that maybe her friends were right and their dad came to discuss her crashing Sean's car.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Tom told her.

"What else is new with you," Hera mumbled, but her comment went unheard as Hanna began yelling, "So let me try to simplify things. If you came to me for a lecture, if that's the case then you can leave now. Or do you want to have the neighbors enjoy the show?"

Tom placed his hands on Hanna's shoulders and spoke calmly, "I'm not here to lecture you. I'm here to help you through a difficult period. You're a good girl Hanna, you have always been but occasionally you're too enthusiastic. Remember when you used to climb the trees when you were little and I always had to help you climb down."

"And why am I here then?" Hera drawled out, not enjoying being in her dad's presence.

Tom gave her a half-smile, "Well, I haven't seen you in over a year since you left without a word, I just want to spend time with my girls."

Hera hummed and didn't say another word. She didn't believe him; Hera knew Tom … in a way, when Hanna said she was like their dad in the bailing department, she was right. Hera had a feeling that dining with his girls was more than just catching up on lost time.

 ***PLL***

"He called Hanna, _again_! I don't want to have dinner with my dad, I can't stand him. One night was enough, Argh!" Hera whined; she was currently sitting in the cafeteria with Aria, Spencer and Emily while Hanna was off doing something with Mona or whatever.

"So don't go," Spencer shrugged, "Say you have other plans."

"Or feign sickness," Aria attempted with a pitying look.

Hera snorted, "My sister is Hanna Marin. Like that would work. Besides, I'm not gonna leave her alone in his clutches."

"You're acting like your dad is some evil overload," Emily said with amusement coloring her tone.

Hera shook her head, a small smile tugging her lips, "It's not that. I don't know how to explain it, but …"

"But?" Spencer leaned forward looking intrigued.

"But," Hera sighed, coming out more as a huff, "I feel like this is more than our dad wanting to spend time with us. I think – no, _I'm sure_ , that he has another motive. I mean, I've been back for a while now and Hanna hasn't seen him in a year since he left. All of a sudden he has time to spend father-daughter moments, two nights in a row? Something isn't right."

"Maybe he's being genuine, maybe he is making up for lost time," Emily spoke, ever the compassionate one. Spencer however, shook her head, "I'm with Hera on this. She's right, there's something fishy about his sudden desire to spend quality time together."

"Thank you," Hera sighed, throwing her arms into the air in exclamation.

That night, Hera and Hanna decided to meet Tom at the restaurant and took Hera's car. When they entered, they found him sitting down on a table tucked in a corner with a wide grin on his face.

"Thank you. This is a great honor to go out with you girls two nights in a row. You think Sean and Chad will be jealous?" he chuckled.

"Chad and I have been broken up for more than a year, dad," Hera stated incredulously. Is he for real?

Hanna nodded, eyes wide and a pout on her lips, "Yeah, and I haven't spoken to Sean since the memorable night."

Tom nodded in comprehension, "Last night I hoped you would be able to mention what happened between you two."

"I was enjoying myself too much for that," Hanna beamed, her eyes brightening with joy; and that was the reason why Hera was playing nice with daddy dearest.

Tom's eyes flickered to both blondes, his face solemn, "How do you feel about what happened to Alison?"

"Uh, not good. Someone murdered our best friend, a murderer is loose in Rosewood, so we're not feeling so hot, dad," Hera said in an obvious tone. Tom winced at the reminder that his daughters where probably living near a murderer.

Suddenly, Tom's eyes focused on something particular behind the girls, and he leaned forward and spoke in hushed and hurried tones, "Hera, Hanna, there are two other things that should be discussed."

"Oh yeah, and what is that?" Hanna asked curiously, but Tom shot off his seat in an instant and jovially exclaimed, "Oh, here they are."

Hera and Hanna turned around to find a middle-aged woman with brown hair and brown eyes, and a younger girl that looked their age with dirty blonde hair and similar brown eyes.

"Good evening," the middle-aged woman smiled. Tom placed a hand around her waist and directed his next words to his confused daughters, "Hera, Hanna, let me present to you, Isabelle my bride and her daughter, Kate."

"You're betrothed?" Hera and Hanna shrieked in unison. Hanna was staring at Tom with wounded eyes while Hera was full-on glaring at him.

Hera and Hanna shouldered on together and silently supported each other as Isabelle and Kate made themselves comfortable. They silently suffered through half an hour of Kate's nonstop rambling on sailing and its joys.

"Hera, Hanna, do you girls enjoy sailing?" Isabelle asked them kindly.

Hera and Hanna deadpanned, "No."

"Do you do that twin speech thing, often?" Kate inquired with a frown, only to be slightly freaked out when both twins smiled sweetly at her and said, "Yes."

"Uh, anyways, you two should go sailing with Kate someday. I'm sure Kate would love to give you lessons, she is an excellent teacher," Isabelle gushed, eliciting fake smiles from the twins.

"Especially with beginners," Kate added knowingly.

"It might be fun for the three of you to go by the boat," Isabelle crowed, staring at Tom for support as though she had come up with a brilliant plan, or found a method in curing cancer. Hera wanted to slap the woman.

"To see which one would return alive?" Hanna drawled; Hera suppressed her laughter by coughing into a napkin.

"Is this a joke?" Kate asked unsurely, her eyes staring warily at the twins.

"Of course it's a joke," Hanna smiled sarcastically. Lifting her fork, she stated, "And that's a fork."

Tom decided it was time to butt in, "Oh, I wanted to tell you Hanna, I had a conversation with the father of Sean and everything should work out."

"You spoke with his father? I wonder where all this free time is coming from, dad," Hera said sarcastically, but Tom paid her no heed, his eyes solemnly focused on Hanna.

"He gave me an estimate of the damage you caused to Sean's car and we agreed to fix the problem without the insurance companies. So I will make him a check and you're working for the amount of compensation, assisting the mother of Sean."

"But his mother is a dentist," Hanna scoffed, sharing grossed out looks with Hera at the mere idea of her rooting through people's mouth.

Tom chuckled, "You will do some cleaning and secretary work and you will answer the phone. After school and on weekends."

"It can be interesting," Kate smiled convincingly.

"Yeah, Hanna, Kate is right. Teeth are just _so_ fascinating, especially removing cavities," Hera drawled out sarcastically, unable to prevent an eye roll.

"You know, Hera, maybe it would be nice for you to work with your sister," Tom offered, eliciting a sneer and a glare from Hera, "No thanks, dad. I've got money, I don't need to work."

"You're dressed in designer labels, those are expensive," Kate pointed out, making Tom do a double take and frown in thought.

"I lived in Cali for a year and got a good job," Hera snapped back with a convincing lie, "Anyways as fun as it was meeting your new lover dad, I gotta run, things to do, people to see," she said, abruptly standing from her seat. Without sparing Tom another glance, she asked Hanna, "You coming, Han?"

"Bye dad," Hanna grumbled, and together, the Marin twins walked out of the restaurant, ignoring their dad frantically calling after them.

Hera slammed her car door shut violently, and hit the gas, "I knew dad had an ulterior motive for all the dining and the complimenting. Sneaky bastard."

"I can't believe he's marrying her," Hanna shouted angrily, switching the car radio on to get their minds off tonight's events.

"And tonight, we have a song dedicated to Hera and Hanna Marin, from 'A'," the radio blared, and the song 'I Don't Need You Anymore' followed afterwards, causing Hera and Hanna to huff with exasperation.

"Seriously?" Hanna growled. Both Marins phone rang and they opened the text from Spencer: **S.O.S.**

Upon reaching the Hastings, they found themselves face-to-face with a nervous and freaked out Spencer who was wringing her wrists.

"What do we do about 'A' Spence? He or She is calling radio stations dedicating songs to us," Hanna yelled.

"What do we do?" Hera demanded angrily, she was feeling a bad vibe.

"I have no idea," Spencer sighed, just as Emily and Aria walked in.

"We got your S.O.S, what's wrong?" Aria asked frantically.

"Someone came here! Alison's bracelet is gone," Spencer worriedly informed them as the five liars ran up to Spencer's room.

"Are you kiddi –"Hera didn't manage to finish what she was about to say as a loud piercing scream escaped her lips, her eyes wide and fearful. The four liars turned and gasped when they noticed what had freaked Hera out.

On Spencer's full length mirror, there was 'It will not be that easy bitches –A' written in red lipstick.

Walking forward, Hanna recognized the color and whispered, "It's red jungle."

"The color of Alison," Emily gulped.

 **A/N:** **Okay, so not much happened in this chapter, but the flashback was very important readers, so keep that in mind. Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **R &R.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Hera Marin – Candice Swanepoel.**

 **Chad Delray – Matt Bomer.**

 **Chapter 5:** **Reality Bites Me:**

After the events of last night, and the fact that 'A' was in Spencer's room, the four other liars slept over in the Hasting's living room. Upon opening their bleary eyes and stifling yawns, Aria smacked a letter written in print on the table in front of the others.

Arching an eyebrow, Hera's eyes speedily flitted through the letter, her mouth forming a wide O-shape once she read the name of the sender; the other girls shared the same expression as Hera and in almost unison, the four liars stared at Aria.

Aria stood with her arms crossed, and although her hazel eyes were filled with sorrow, her features shone with barely concealed anger, "'A' sent this letter to my mom, last night," she stated.

Being the compassionate one, Emily faced Aria directly and softly yet firmly, said, "You know it's not your fault, right?"

"It's your dad's mistake, totally," Hanna instantly agreed.

Aria somberly shook her head, dropping down on the floor beside the girls and let out a pitiful groan, "No, it is my fault."

"Last time I checked, you didn't stick your tongue down some home-wrecker's throat," Hera scoffed. Seeing all the girls staring at her with a 'what the hell' expression, she merely shrugged, "What? It's true and you know it."

Spencer let out a sigh, but nodded all the same, "Exactly what Hera said. _You_ did not hook up with her and then ask your kid to cover for you."

But Aria wasn't to be easily persuaded, "Ali said I should've told my mom right after it happened."

"Ali? Alison knew?" Spencer gaped with widened eyes. Once again, Hera scoffed, staring at Spencer with incredulous eyes, "Of course Ali knew. When does she not know something?"

Aria nodded desolately, "She was with me when I caught my dad and Meredith together in a car."

"Meredith?" Hanna blurted out, wrinkling her nose in disdain, "Her name's Meredith? Ew. That's not a cute girl name," she determinedly continued with a scandalized look upon her face, "I'm seeing big pores and mousy roots."

Rolling her eyes fondly at her sister, Hera patted Hanna's hand and said, "My sister the psychic. Tell her a name and she can instantly beautify you, whilst finding out your flaws."

"Haha, not funny, Her," Hanna deadpanned with narrowed eyes.

Too used to the Marin twin's idle bickering, Emily interrupted, "Her, Han, not the time. I think it's a little too soon to joke."

Hanna wasn't abashed the least bit, and adamantly carried on, "I'm sorry. But if you're gonna cheat, then do it with someone who deep conditions her hair."

"You never even saw this Meredith person," Hera yelled in exasperation. Turning around, Hera snatched a cookie from Spencer's hand and shoved it into Hanna's mouth, "Here, put something in your mouth besides your foot."

Hanna spluttered as she wiped crumbs from her face and the other liars smiled weakly at their regular banter – just a normal day with the Marin twins. Sighing deeply, Hanna adopted a serious look and told Aria, "I'm sorry okay? Look, all I'm saying is that when our dad left, laughing sometimes helped."

"So did crying," Hera pointed out with a shrug as an afterthought.

Aria fervently shook her head, and let out a nervous chuckle, "My father hasn't left, guys." She scrambled for a lifeline, "I mean, this happened over a year ago."

Placing a supportive hand on Aria's shoulder, Emily said, "Look, whatever happens, we're here for you."

"Thank you guys, for staying here," Spencer told the girls whole-heartedly, her eyes wandering around the corners of the room, as though somebody would jump out at any second, "I couldn't have been here alone."

"Yeah, of course we would. 'A' was in your house, that's creepy enough, the least we could do was keep you company," Hera shrugged with a smile, one that Spencer wasted no time in returning.

"When's your family getting back?" Emily asked worriedly.

"This afternoon," came the immediate reply.

"Aren't you gonna clean off the mirror?" Aria mentioned, shivering as she recalled the message left behind by 'A' in Alison's signature jungle red lipstick.

"We should all go," Emily stated adamantly, getting up from the ground and pulling a bewildered Hera on her feet along with her.

Hanna widened her eyes and innocently commented, "You know what? It doesn't take five to clean a mirror … so why don't you four go and I'll just wait here?" she smiled sheepishly, keeping her ass firmly grounded on the floor.

"Fine, okay," Emily shrugged as the four girls went up towards the staircase.

"You stay down here. _Alone_ ," Aria eerily commented.

Spencer flippantly added with a smirk, "But make sure you lock the door."

"Yeah," Hera tacked on, "You never know if 'A' is still lurking about, Han."

Hanna adopted the expression of a deer caught in the headlights and she instantly jumped onto her feet, hastily saying as she ran up to the girls, "Right. You spray, I'll wipe."

Hera, Spencer, Aria and Emily halted in their amused laughter when Hanna's phone suddenly rang with a text, and they all stared wary eyes on her phone as she brought it up to eyelevel. Huffing, Hanna ground out, "Well, the creature's back."

"We never should have unblocked out phones," Emily whined worriedly.

"If we didn't, then 'A' would continue haunting us with messages publicly, it's safer this way," Hera argued righteously.

There was an attachment under the message: **Ever wondered what's going on when your back is turned? –A**

"Open the attachment," Spencer pressed on as the girls huddled around Hanna who blurted out, "That's us."

The eyes of the five liars widened abnormally, their faces morphed into states of horror as Hanna played the video sent by 'A'.

"Was that a shot from inside your closet?" Emily gasped, sounding totally freaked out.

The video showed the five liars walking into Spencer's room and noticing the writing left behind on the mirror, emitting loud screams, zooming in on each of their horror-struck faces.

"'A' was watching us," Spencer whispered.

Hera made a beeline towards the closet in Spencer's room where 'A' had been videoing them. Flinging the closet door open, she noticed a tube on the ground and picked it up. Turning to face the others, she said, "Guys, check it out."

They all gaped at the jungle red lipstick left behind by 'A' that sat in Hera's hand in shock and horror.

 ***PLL***

"You can't seriously think that a blind girl broke into my house," Spencer incredulously informed Aria as the five liars walked the school hallway to class.

"There's no way it was Jenna," Hera whispered to the girls in case of peeping ears.

Hanna scoffed derisively, "That would take _a lot_ more than a talking GPS."

"Well, I didn't say that Jenna was alone," Aria defended her previous statement.

"Let's not go to the Toby place, okay?" Emily instantly rebutted; Toby has been really nice to her, especially when he saved her from Ben. Emily just couldn't imagine Toby harming the girls for some reason.

"Why not?" Aria vehemently argued back.

Hera outstretched both hands to the two arguing girls, "Guys, honestly I agree with Emily. I mean, Toby _and_ Jenna fitting in Spencer's cupboard is kind of a stretch."

"You guys think her guide dog left behind this lipstick?" Hanna couldn't help but hide the ridicule tone in her voice.

Spencer glimpsed at Emily for a second before saying, "Yeah, do you wanna ask what your lab partner was doing last night?" unable to keep the implied accusation from her tone.

"Yeah, maybe he took a break from sitting on the porch and pulling heads off of squirrels to … I don't know, _torture us_?" Hera spat; even though she didn't believe Toby and Jenna wrote the menacing message on Spencer's mirror last night, that didn't mean they were off the hook. Maybe they planned it but had someone else do their dirty work so they didn't look suspicious.

They were suddenly interrupted as Mr. Sheldrake joined them with a wide smile on his face aimed at Spencer, "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt, but I hope you're proud of your friend as I am. Congratulations. My instincts were right," he handed over an envelope and Spencer hesitantly took it from him with an awkward smile.

"This just makes it official," he beamed before walking away, leaving the four liars to stare at a nervous Spencer who was fidgeting with the openings of the envelope.

"What's that about?" Aria asked curiously.

"An essay contest," Spencer vaguely replied.

"Wait, did you win it? Aren't you gonna open the envelope?" Emily expectantly asked their braniac friend. Rolling her eyes, Hanna scoffed, "Why should she? She wins an award for waking up."

Hanna was referring to the fact that Spencer copied her older sister, Melissa's essay and plagiarized it. Hera could see that Spencer was really nervous about getting caught and branded a cheater. Sighing loudly, Hera sadly thought that if it wasn't 'A' terrorizing them, then it was their everyday secrets that would end up bringing them down.

 ***PLL***

"Can you believe it? Sean's ride since I crashed his car is some blonde skank with perfect pores!" Hanna cried into the phone as Hera paid for her coffee.

Leaving the café, Hera let out a sigh and tried calming her twin down, "Han, I'm sure it meant nothing. They're probably just … friends."

"Yeah, friends," Hanna scoffed, "And when I asked about homecoming, he evaded me. Like what the hell was that?"

"I'm sure he's waiting for the right moment to ask you. Sean would be crazy not to take you as his date. Besides you haven't broken up," Hera pointed out, taking a sip from her coffee.

Suddenly a sharp intake of breath reverberated down the other line and Hera was instantly on the alert, "Hanna?"

"Shh, stay on the line for a moment, and don't say anything," Hanna hissed down the phone. Hera tapped her foot on the pavement, leaning against an alley as she waited for Hanna to respond.

"Hera?" a familiar, masculine voice called out. Hera whipped her face, eyes widening when she found herself alone in a deserted alley with Darren.

Damnit! Why did she think it was a nice day to walk home instead of taking her car?

"What are yo –"Hera cut Darren off by instinctively placing her index finger on his lip in a hushing motion, her eyes widening once she realized what she did, and she instantly yanked her hand away as though she were burned.

Darren got the hint, and much to Hera's disappointment, instead of leaving, he leaned against the wall beside her, waiting until she finished her call. Hera decided to ignore him, while Darren inspected her face in confusion.

A frown made itself known on her forehead when she heard Jenna on the other end, but she couldn't distinct the exact words; a minute later, Hanna's voice boomed into her ear sounding freaked out and rushed, "Hera, you will never believe what just happened! I'm on my way to Dr. Ackard's office and Jenna walks in the elevator."

"Why would she be there in the first place?" Hera demanded frantically, ignoring Darren's presence completely, especially his damnable curious eyes.

"I don't know, but that's not important right now. She began applying a fresh coat of lipstick," Hanna ground out.

Rolling her eyes, Hera shifted from her place against the wall and spoke in mock-horror, "Oh the horror, she applied lipstick. Are you kidding me Hanna?"

"You didn't let me finish!" Hanna shouted down the end, and Hera was almost positive that Darren heard her. "Jungle red lipstick, as in –"

"As in the same shade as last night," Hera's voice came out in a whisper, and her hand trembled slightly. "That's too much of a coincidence, Han. I don't like it. Take care okay? If anything happens, you call me immediately. I'll let the others know."

She hung up the phone, nerves wracking her body. Was Aria right? Could 'A' possibly be a blind girl? Truth be told, Jenna had a motive for harassing the girls, and Hera believed her to be vindictive enough to be 'A'.

"What the hell was all that about?" Darren snapped, and Hera groaned; with the new information that Hanna relayed to her, she had completely forgotten about the Detective that stood by her side.

"Can I help you with something, Darren? Or are you harassing me on police business?" Hera smoothly ground out, glaring daggers at him.

Darren wanted to know what got Hera so spooked, he was curious of what Hanna informed her down the other end, but he decided to let it go. "About the kiss –"

"What about it? We'll just pretend it never happened," Hera said dismissively. She passed him and went to leave when Darren curled his hand around her wrist and pulled her body towards him.

"That's the thing, Hera, I don't want to. I," Darren groaned in aggravation as he rubbed a hand over his face nervously, "I miss you, Hera. Remember how easy it was between us … _before_?"

 _Flashback:_

" _Darren, st-stop it," Hera began laughing uncontrollably as Darren tickled her sides continuously, not letting her go as they rolled together on his bed in his apartment. "I surrender, I surrender," she giggled, sighing in relief when Darren halted in his ministrations._

 _Darren rolled Hera over so that she was leaning on top of him and was straddling him with her legs on both sides, staring down at his mischievous navy blue eyes._

 _Darren softly cupped her face and brought her down to his lips, and began kissing her passionately, eliciting a moan out of both of them. Hera placed both hands on his chest and regretably broke the kiss, her eyes closed and a dreamy look overtaking her features._

" _Dare, I gotta leave. My parents and Hanna will be wondering where I am since I didn't sleep in my bed all night," she pouted sadly._

 _Darren let out a sad sigh, "I'll tell them you were with me on police business. Just stay with me for a while longer. I'll take you out for breakfast," he added temptingly._

" _Breakfast?" Hera's eyes widened, "As in … a date?"_

 _They had never put a title to what they were exactly. It has been a month since they began their fling and they usually just hooked up and had sex occasionally. Darren never showed her that he wanted more, and Hera didn't mind since she went after him for completely different reasons._

" _Call it what you want. But I want to take you out and feed you. You're too skinny," Darren teased her, eliciting another giggle from the blonde._

" _Breakfast, huh?"_

 _Darren's eyes twinkled mischievously as he gave her an impish smile, "Breakfast … after another round," his hands drifted over her naked body suggestively, and Hera couldn't help but shiver under his touch. She grabbed her phone and texted Ali so that she could cover for her._

 _Since Ali and Hera were the adventurous girls from their group, they usually covered for one another when they were out with a guy or hiding something from their respective parents and siblings._

 _Throwing her phone back onto the dresser, Hera giggled, "How can I say no to another round."_

 _The room was filled with moans of pleasures as Hera captured his lips once again and they continued where they had left off._

Hera's phone rang, interrupting her from one of the fondest memory she had of her and Darren before she skipped town. Before she could check her message, Darren pecked her cheek, his lips lingering on her for a moment longer, "Think about it, Her. I am not going to let you go so easily this time."

And without another word, Darren Wilden left Hera standing alone in the alley, staring at his retreating back in a mixture of confusion and desire.

Shaking her head from those tantalizing thoughts, she looked down at her phone and gasped when she saw that it was a message from 'A' with two pictures attached. One was a picture of Emily making out with that Maya St. Germain chick and the other was a picture of her and Darren kissing near her car after Noah's party.

 **You kiss & I tell. Or maybe, you don't kiss & I tell.**

 **What's it gonna be bestie? –A**

 ***PLL***

"Arghhh! I'm such a dummy," Hanna groaned pitifully as she barged into Hera's room and jumped beside her on the bed. She grabbed a pillow and covered her face with it, unable to see Hera's semi-amused look.

"What did you do this time?" Hera asked knowingly, burying her phone under her pillow where she had been staring at A's message nonstop ever since she had returned home.

Hanna peeked over the pillow, two blue orbs glaring upwards at her twin, and spoke in a muffled voice, "I may have, uh, somewhat told mom about dad's blushing bride."

Arching an eyebrow, Hera's puzzled eyes narrowed in on Hanna's guilt-consumed ones, "I don't get it … why are you a dummy then?"

Bolting upright, Hanna gazed at her sister sheepishly and said, "Mom didn't know that dad proposed to Isabel. She was under the impression that they were only dating."

Hera's jaw dropped open, and her eyes glinted ferociously. She could not imagine how Ashley Marin must be feeling at this current moment; not only did Tom divorce her, but he couldn't wait more than a year to get hitched again, and he didn't even have the decency to tell her beforehand.

"What a dick!" Hera scowled, "Him and mom have been together for nearly two decades and he doesn't even have courtesy to personally let her know before she found out through us. That's cold. And heartless."

Hanna nodded glumly, feeling torn between two parents, "I know. I feel bad for mom, she tried to cover up her hurt, but I easily saw through her mask." Sighing, Hanna looked around Hera's room for a change of subject, "Spencer called, we're meeting her at the café to discuss Jenna."

A couple of hours later, the Marin twins left to meet up with Spencer, and during the whole ride, Hera couldn't stop thinking about A's latest message; she held no qualms with Emily being into girls, but she was positive that since Em didn't tell them, that meant she didn't want word getting out. 'A' left her confused as to what it wanted exactly.

They found Spencer had already grabbed a table and was sipping on her coffee, and Hanna wasted no time in regaling the exact events that happened that afternoon with Jenna and the lipstick, the second she sat down.

"Are you sure?" Spencer grilled Hanna, her face a mixture of shock and confusion. Jenna's blind after all, there was no way she could have left the message in her room – especially on her own.

" _Yes_. It's Alison's color. Same shade, same tube," Hanna said firmly, not even a hint of doubt in her blue irises or her tone.

"We've been around Ali for ages, there's no way Hanna would have mistaken it for anything but jungle red. Ali was addicted to the color," Hera chimed in, supporting her twin's observation. The Marin twins were obsessed with fashion; there was no way they could easily make such a grave error.

Spencer was conflicted, yet she believed Hanna, "What I'm wondering is why was Jenna in an empty room for an hour?" Hera and Hanna shrugged, and Spencer ploughed on, "I think we should call the police. There are fingerprints on this tube."

"Yeah. _Ours_!" Hera ground out in a 'what the hell are you thinking' tone. Spencer shrugged sheepishly; in her defense, she was running out of ideas, and the fact that 'A' was in her room had her on her last nerves that she wasn't thinking straight.

Hanna huffed crossly before mentioning, "If you want me to answer more questions, let me get in the office, see what I find."

"Take care you don't get caught. There must be heavy surveillance," Hera informed her warningly, unable to keep the worriment off her tone.

"Have you gotten any more emails?" Spencer suddenly asked. Hera shook her head fervently, feigning innocence; it wasn't just about keeping her and Darren a secret, but Emily as well, and Hera wasn't about to rat her out. And speaking of, just as Hanna was answering in negative, Emily walked into the café, a surprised look on her face when she saw the three of them together.

Emily approached them with a strained smile and Spencer perked up and asked, "Hey, what are you doing here?" Emily fidgeted uncomfortably, " Uh … I was just … I –"

"Hanna had a run-in with Jenna Marshall today. Sit down," Spencer interjected Emily's stuttering. Her words had the added effect on Emily. She abruptly sat beside Hanna and stared at the three girls curiously.

Hanna shifted to face Emily clearly, "Em, you know that dentist office I'm working at?" Once Emily nodded in comprehension, Hanna carried on, "Well, I was going for my shift and I was in the elevator … and Jenna was in there, and she had the _same_ lipstick Ali wore."

"The exact same color," Hera chimed in conspiratorially.

"She had the same lipstick as Ali. That was _Ali's lipstick_ ," Hanna stressed each word that came out of her mouth, causing Emily's eyes to widen even more.

While the four liars were engrossed in Jenna's actions and the jungle red lipstick, they didn't notice Toby Cavanaugh walk in and hand over something to the waitress before leaving. Spencer suddenly stood, "I have an early tennis date with my dad and I have no idea what I'm gonna wear," she told them once they asked where she was off to.

"And there's a boy, hmm?" Hera smirked, noticing the signs of a girl crushing on a boy. The words barely left Hera's mouth when Hanna pounced, a gleam of interest appearing in her eyes, "Boy? What boy? _Details_!"

Spencer's olive complexion turned a rosy red and she smiled, "Well, there's none yet. But I'll keep you posted," she winked just before she left and the waiter came over and handed a package to Emily. It looked like a mixed CD and had beautiful drawings on it, making it look very artistic.

The Marin twins tried getting Emily to squeal, but she simply told them it was some boy from school and that they had the same interest in bands.

"Em, if there's someone in your life who cares about you, then I'm happy for you," Hanna informed her, and that rang bell warnings in Hera's head. Hanna was acting quite odd.

Hera however, nodded and said, "No matter _who_ they are."

The Marin twins stared at each other oddly, and mutually agreed to let it go; but the same thoughts were reverberating in their heads. Did 'A' send a text as well regarding Emily and Maya?

 ***PLL***

"You'll never guess what I just found out?"

Once again, Hanna barged into Hera's room after work and jumped onto her bed, but this time, there was no guilt in her twin's eyes, she was radiating happiness.

"Sean?" Hera simply asked; it had to be a boy or dad that had Hanna in such a good mood, and since dad was off with his bimbo Isabel, then it was clearly Sean.

"Yup! I ran into him again, and it turned out that Amber wasn't a new girl in his life," Hanna shrieked excitedly.

Hera scooched over so that she could be closer to her twin and immediately pounced, "Well? Don't leave me hanging! _Spill_!"

Hanna was pleased with the attention Hera was giving her and wasted no time in sharing the details, "She drives him to school for some meeting they both attend. He joined a club: RLW, Real Love Waits."

You could hear a penny drop in the room. After Hanna had shared that tidbit of information, Hera's eyes widened incredulously, and she had to bite the inside of her cheeks to stop herself from laughing in Hanna's face. Taking a few steadying breaths, Hera drawled out each word slowly, "So, your boyfriend has joined some kind of holy roller virgin society?"

"Funny, I said the same thing," Hanna smirked at how alike they both were, "I asked him if I could sit in the next meeting."

This time, Hera wasn't able to suppress her laughter, and once she had calmed down, she snorted, "Priceless. I didn't know there were still teenagers in Rosewood that wait for 'true love' before losing their virginity. You got yourself a unicorn, Han," she teased, the ever-present smirk noticeable on her face.

Hanna grabbed a pillow and swatted Hera on the face with it, "You're hilarious Her. Laugh it up, but I think it's sweet."

Hera halted in her laughter and gave her sister a comprehending smile, "Plus, you're glad that you weren't the problem." Hanna's silence spoke volumes, and Hera engulfed her twin in a tight hug, "Hanna, you're perfect, and I'm not saying that because I'm being biased. Any guy would be lucky to have you by their side. I don't want you to ever doubt that for even a second."

Hanna's eyes brimmed with tears. She really missed her sister when she ran off to California, she just didn't know how much until this exact moment. It was always Hera and Hanna against the world, even when they had Alison, Aria, Spencer and Emily; the Marin twins always had each other's back, and now that Hera was back, Hanna was never allowing her to leave her sights again.

"Thanks Hera. I love you," Hanna beamed genuinely, hugging her sister back.

"I love you two, Hanna Banana."

 **A/N:** **Gave you all a little flashback with Hottie Detective Darren Wilden. For those that want the flashback of how they got together, that's for later … I'm gonna try and get the next chapter by tonight or tomorrow, so stay tuned! XD**

 **Btw; Did you all like the Hera/Hanna bonding?**

 **R &R.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Hera Marin – Candice Swanepoel.**

 **Chad Delray – Matt Bomer.**

 **Chapter 6:** **There's No Place Like Homecoming:**

It was time to stage an intervention; Aria's parents were going through serious problems due to A's interference informing Ella about her husband's continuous rendezvous' with his slutty student, Meredith, which happened a year ago and Aria was in a depressed phase.

Agreeing on a time and day, the four liars congregated at the Montgomery's household and barged into Aria's room uninvited – and it looked a total mess. Striding over to the giant lump on the bed, Hera yanked the blanket off, while Spencer opened the curtains, inviting beautiful sunlight into the previously darkened and gloomy room.

Aria's hazel eyes groggily glared weakly at the four liars and she whined out, "What are you doing?"

In a clearly obvious tone, Hera exclaimed, "An intervention."

Hanna had a stack of magazines in her arms while Emily had both hands full with Chinese takeout. "We brought takeout and rag mags," Emily chirped cheerfully, ignoring the way Aria winced at the chirpiness of the whole situation.

Hanna's eyes bulged in disbelief and her nose crinkled once she noticed the garbs Aria had on. Scrutinizing her, she said, "But you _cannot_ have any of those until you get out of these sweats."

A frown puckered on Aria's crowded forehead as she looked down at what she was currently wearing. She had on a baggy t-shirt that covered her thighs, and equally baggy grey sweatpants. Although Aria found them to be comfortable, Hera and Hanna looked as though they were about to suffer from cardiac arrest at any moment from just catching a glimpse of her wardrobe.

"What's wrong with these?" Aria asked, not even bothering to feign insult at Hanna's words and Hera's disproving stare.

"Nothing," Hanna fidgeted, before blurting out, "Except they're starting to graft to your skin."

"Well, they're comfy," Aria shot back defensively. Spencer and Emily stayed out of the whole fashion consult as they tidied her room slightly, leaving the critique for the two blonde fashionistas.

Hera scoffed, wrinkling her nose once more, "So are mom jeans and platform flip-flops, but you _don't_ see us wearing them."

Hanna nodded in complete agreement with her twin and added, "Plus, how are we gonna help you choose a homecoming dress if you don't try some on for us?"

Another frown joined Aria's nearly crowded forehead and she shot out, "That's easy. I'm not going." At Aria's firm stance and sure words, even Spencer and Emily halted in their cleaning, both of them gaping dumbfounded at Aria's weary and adamant form.

"What do you mean 'you're not going'?" Spencer parroted in shock.

"You can't just not go!" Hera and Hanna whined, scandalized.

Emily however, tried going for a different approach, "What are you doing instead?"

Shrugging, Aria joined the four girls on the floor and huffed wearily, "I don't know. I guess I'll just read these and then inhale a gallon of chunky monkey."

Hera snatched the offending magazines into her hands and shook her head rapidly, "Nu-uh, we didn't bring these mags so that you could spend homecoming with!"

Leaning forward, Emily's face morphed into compassion as she stared softly into Aria's sad hazel eyes, "Hey, look cutting yourself off from the rest of your life is _not_ gonna help your parents."

"And besides, they still might work it out," Spencer added in a positive note.

Aria shook her head adamantly, "They're barely speaking to each other."

"People get angry. They blow up. Doesn't mean its over," Emily informed her, glancing at Spencer, Hera and Hanna for support. Hera and Hanna traded meaningful glances, but kept their mouths shut. Their parents ended up getting divorced, and so somehow, the twins didn't think they would be able to impart the correct words of wisdom.

Aria was beginning to get frustrated, and Hanna couldn't help but open her filter, "Emily, they didn't blow up over her dad missing their anniversary. He _slept_ with one of his students … sorry," she added guiltily to Aria.

"Wow, Hanna. You should focus on keeping your mouth shut if you don't have anything _supportive_ to say," Hera scoffed, shaking her head in exasperation.

Hanna stuck her tongue out and spoke with conviction, "I'm just saying, things can look over on Friday and by Monday all is forgiven. Some things just take time."

"Yeah, maybe," Aria sighed lowly, her eyes tracing the carpet patterns; in reality, she was upset over her and Ezra's whatever relationship they had coming to an end, on top of her parents impending divorce, but it wasn't like she could outright inform her friends that she had been dating their English teacher they were all salivating over the other day.

Hera perked up, beaming over at Aria, "Okay, so you're coming!" but Aria merely shook her head, and Hera huffed in outrage, " _Come on_!"

"God… I'll _think_ about it," Aria threw out; anything to get the Marin twins off her back.

"If you're not coming, can you at least cast an absentee ballot?" Hanna asked hesitantly, a look of complete innocence on her face. Spencer, Emily and Hera stared open mouthed at Hanna in disbelief. " _What_? I _need_ her vote!" Hanna defended herself, blue eyes widening in a mixture of humility and indignation.

"Hanna, stop already! You've got homecoming queen locked down," Spencer groaned wearily.

"Really?" Hanna's interest was piqued, and she grew excited, "You can rig the election?"

"Sorry, I have enough to do already, thanks," Spencer deadpanned in rebuttal. "I'm head of the committee, half of which is out with the flu, so I'll be restocking the ice and refilling the hummus bowl …" she trailed off and gave the girls a sheepish glance, " _And_ trying to look cute for my first official date."

"With Alex?" Hera smirked suggestively; from what little Spencer informed her about him, Hera knew that Spencer was crazy about the guy. The girls all cooed over Spencer causing her to blush at their comments, and Aria chuckled.

"Damn! Now I have to come."

"Seriously, you guys, he's not gonna know anybody there, so can you just do your best to make him feel included?" Spencer desperately asked them.

"No, we were planning on freezing him out," Hanna snarked sarcastically.

"All right, moving on," Spencer coughed, "Em, Her, who are you two gonna bring?"

"I think I'm gonna go stag," Emily piped up.

"I will, too," Aria agreed.

"Same," Hera shrugged nonchalantly.

Spencer frowned in confusion, "I heard Chad Delaney was taking you."

Hera's perfectly plucked brows rose to her hairline and her sapphire eyes turned icy with rage, "Say what now? Whatever you heard is bogus. That guy can't take a frickin hint!" she fumed.

"Down girl," Aria chuckled, "You guys were so hot together though," she pouted and the other girls nodded in agreement.

Hera fidgeted uncomfortably; if the girls and even Hanna, knew how exactly Chad treated her; they would blow a fuse and take back their words in a heartbeat. Instead of answering, Hera grabbed a fortune cookie from the bag, desperately hoping for a change in subject. However, her eyes widened when they landed on the typed writing.

"What's wrong? Bad fortune?" Spencer asked hesitantly, noticing that Hera was paling drastically.

"Yeah, Confucius says to stop being a drama queen," Hanna snorted.

Hera hastily shook her head and read the fortune out in rushed words, "Lions and tigers and bitches, oh my! There's no place like homecoming. See you there, 'A'."

Silence loomed over the five liars as they traded horrified looks, and in quick unison, they all grabbed the remaining fortune cookies; they were all the same message from 'A'.

 ***PLL***

The next day in school, Hanna ditched Hera to attend the 'Real Love Waits' meeting. At first Hera was shocked that her sister was actually interested in agreeing to the whole virgin charade, of course, that was before Hanna firmly informed her twin that she was merely going to keep both eyes on Sean and Amber.

Hera sniggered, hiding her real feelings behind a perfectly crafted mask. As the elder twin and immensely protective over her kindhearted sister, Hera wasn't pleased that Sean was causing her gorgeous and bubbly sister to begin feeling insecure once again. Hanna may be feeling paranoid with trust issues since she crashed Sean's car, but that was no exception.

During lunch, Spencer tried convincing Hanna to grab Jenna's file from the psychiatrist's office since it was in the same building where she worked. Truth be told, Hera was firmly on Spencer's side – Jenna's file could contain the key to the identity of 'A' or at the very least the revelation of the Cavanaugh's secret.

"They canceled my shift at work," Hanna huffed in response.

But Spencer wasn't deterred by Hanna's clipped reply, "Well, go in anyway!"

"It's a therapist office!" Hanna exclaimed.

"So pretend you're having a nervous breakdown. You're dramatic enough to pull it off," Hera shot back; they needed that file at all costs. Hera had many skeletons in her closet. Skeletons that not many teenagers would usually have and she _needed_ 'A' gone.

"Well, if I lose the crown to Heather Perez, I won't have to pretend," Hanna huffed crossly, her tone turning snarky.

"Hanna, this is serious. Why is Hera and I the only one that gets it," Spencer ground out, "That file might be our only chance to find out what Jenna knows about that night, and if she and her creepy stepbrother are planning revenge –"

"Spence, I get it. Why the panic attack?" Hanna interjected, concerned. Noticing that Hera was jumpy as well, Hanna blurted out, "Is it because of the fortune cookie?"

Spencer vehemently shook her head, and leaned forward, "It's because Toby Cavanaugh, who's never had a date in his life, just bought _two_ tickets to homecoming."

"Wait, what!" Hera screeched, drawing attention over to their table. Sheepishly, she lowered her voice and hissed, "Jenna's coming, too?!"

"Well, they did promise to see us there, right?" Spencer hissed back.

"Hey, Hanna, Hera, Spencer." Hera and Spencer inwardly groaned when they recognized the owner of said voice and Hera plastered a fake smile when Mona, Hanna's best friend, approached them haughtily. "So, is it true you're taking the country club's towel boy to homecoming?" she sneered down at Spencer.

Glaring up into Mona's black eyes, Spencer gritted her teeth, "His name is Alex, and yes, I am."

"Knock it off, Mona!" Hanna snapped warningly. Mona shrugged innocently, a smirk curling on her lips, "What? I think it's cute. She's taking her Cinderfella to the ball."

Glaring daggers at Mona, a contempt sneer curled onto Hera's lips, "Coming from the Cindernerd who never got to experience having a guy look at her a little over a year ago, you should be the _last_ one to talk," she snapped in cruel tones. It was instantaneous; Mona's smug and haughty smirk evaporated, only to be replaced with shock and anger.

"Mona, can you go get me a fro-yo with sprinkles," Hanna asked sweetly, wanting to end the awkward confrontation. Once Mona left with haste, Hanna regarded her sister disapprovingly, "That was rude, Hera."

"No, I was being a good friend and defending Spencer. I liked Mona better when she wore glasses and had acne problems. Why try to be a bitch when you used to be bullied by one," Hera snapped defensively, not feeling the least bit guilty.

Spencer bumped shoulders with Hera and smiled, "Thanks Her." Giving Hanna a contemplative look, Spencer couldn't help but ask, "Why are you friends with her?"

Shrugging, Hanna said, "Once you get to know her, she's really funny … and she's always there for me, even if it's just to watch me try on shoes." Noticing that her sister and friend still hadn't budged and climbed aboard the Mona Express Train, Hanna huffed, "Look, she's a good person. She just talks tough so people will forget what a geek she used to be."

Hera shook her head sympathetically, but not for Mona, for Hanna, "Han, that isn't a good enough excuse. I don't see you being the Bitch Queen around here. Just because Mona used to be a nerd, doesn't make it okay for her to start targeting others. She used to be a major target around here, she should have more compassion towards them."

Before Hanna could respond, Spencer smacked both Marins on the hand, her eyes fixated on Toby Cavanaugh. His shirt was lifted slightly, and a vivid tattoo caught their attention, '901 Free At Last'.

 ***PLL***

"Chad!" Hera growled, stomping over to him. He was leaning against his car with Noah. Once he heard Hera calling him, however, he flashed Noah a lewd wink and ran over to her.

"You called? Decided you couldn't live without me after all, hmm?" Chad's face was so damn smug, it should seriously be illegal.

Hera's usual soft sapphire eyes hardened into chips of ice. "Why did Spencer tell me that there was a rumor going around about us? Precisely; that I am your date for homecoming?"

All humor was wiped out and Chad glared at her authoritatively, a possessive growl slipping into his words, "Because you are, Hera. How many times must I tell you? _You. Are. Mine!"_ He grabbed Hera roughly and wound an arm around her waist, but Hera was ready for him this time. She stamped her killer heels into Chad's feet, causing him to yelp in pain and instantly let go of her.

"I am _not_ the girl that used to be intimidated by you anymore, Chad! I changed! I changed _before_ I left for Boarding School. You stay the hell away from me," Hera snarled angrily. Once she neared her car, she turned her head and looked over her shoulders at a furious Chad and called out, "If I were you, I wouldn't bother stopping by my place. If you don't want to go solo, find some poor idiot to take out.

 _Flashback:_

 _Hera was at yet, another party that Eric Kahn threw, and it has been four months since Chad and Hera began dating. She stood with Alison, Aria, Emily and Spencer admiring the hot older guys in Eric's year._

" _Now that guy is one sexy piece of ass," Alison grinned, her eyes following a dark-haired guy who was currently smoking a joint with her brother, Jason. Hera nodded dismissively, her eyes flashing with jealousy when Jason snaked an arm around a curvy redhead's waist and blew a puff of smoke directly into her mouth._

" _Yeah, yeah he is," Hera mumbled, referring to Jason. Believing that Hera was checking out the same guy as her, she winked and began giggling, "Let's go up to them. Maybe the two of us can share him, huh?"_

" _Hera! Ali!" Hanna squealed, her face turning tomato red. Spencer and Emily stared at the two vivacious blondes in shock._

" _Hera's dating Chad, Alison. That would be cheating," Spencer snapped matter-of-factly, her tone judgmental._

 _Alison narrowed her eyes at Spencer and looped arms with Hera, "The choice is up to Hera, Spencer! God, you're such a bore sometimes. You need to lighten up, Spence!"_

 _Insulted, Spencer crossed her arms and huffed, "Well then, if that's the case, I'm gonna go get a drink." Emily and Hanna bustled behind her, in need of a refill as well, but as they were leaving, Hanna shot Hera a disappointed look, and Hera's gut churned with guilt. Hanna was innocent, way too innocent; Hera was glad that Hanna didn't end up like her and managed to skip the slut gene._

" _Forget about them Her, they don't understand us," Alison comforted Hera with a supportive smile. "So, wanna go up to them and have some fun?" Alison's eyes glittered with glee, awaiting Hera's response._

 _Hera's eyes zoomed into Jason once again and without realizing it, she nodded, eliciting a delighted squeal from Alison, "Let me first make sure Chad isn't nearby and you get a bottle of tequila, kay?"_

 _Alison had a shit-eating grin on her face, "And THAT'S why you're my favorite!" The two blondes split up. Hera climbed up the stairs, deciding to check Noah's room first – sometimes Chad and Noah would hang out there for a while for some unknown reason to her – probably smoking from their secret stash or something. A silent gasp escaped her lips when she peeked into the small opening of Noah's room._

 _Moans and groans echoed around the room, sharply piercing her eardrums and her eyes narrowed in disgust and rage upon noticing Melinda Crawley riding Chad, his arms stoking her backside adoringly. Hera saw nothing but red; Chad would endlessly beat her and warn her about cheating on him, while he ditched her early on to screw that blonde bitch!_

 _Truth was; Hera wasn't going to hook up with the guy Alison was checking out, she was just going to flirt innocently, but now,_ _ **now**_ _that she changed her mind. And with her mind firmly made up, Hera turned around and stomped over to Alison who had already begun chugging down the newly-opened bottle._

 _Without a word, Hera snatched it from Ali's hand and took a few deep gulps. "Well, what are we waiting for?"_

 _Alison smirked and grabbed her hand, dragging her over to Jason's groupie. Jason's head snapped upwards when he noticed his sister and Hera approaching them and a groan of disbelief escaped his lips, his green eyes narrowing in anger. The redhead was sitting comfortably on his laps, watching the two blondes in distaste._

" _What do we have here?" the dark-haired guy asked leeringly._

" _Dave!_ _ **Watch it**_ _!" Jason growled warningly, "Alison, how about you take your little friend and leave. We're busy."_

 _Alison ignored him and shot Dave a flirtatious wink, her index finger trailing his biceps. Dave grinned at them, "What can I do for you two girls?"_

 _Hera sat on his other side; "I think the real question is, what we can do for you," she purred provocatively. Dave's cerulean eyes darkened slightly with lust, his eyes flickering from Alison to Hera as he roamed their bodies in approval._

" _What sluts," the redhead scoffed, her nose turning up haughtily. But before Jason could speak up, or Alison managed to insult her, Hera who was already feeling explosive rage over Chad, snapped at her with a cruel sneer, "An hour ago, you were giving some guy a blowjob in the kitchen, and now you're making out with_ _ **him**_ _," she nudged her head towards Jason, purposely not mentioning his name, "You're the last to talk, bitch!"_

 _Jason and Dave threw the fuming and flushed redhead an incredulous look while Ali stared at Hera with pride. Without another word and ignoring Jason's warning to leave his sister alone, Dave yanked the two girls over to a free room._

 _After a fuming Jason drove the girls back to Alison's house after the party, Chad stopped by for a word behind the DiLaurentis' yard._

" _I heard you cheated on me! Did you?" Chad growled. Hera glared at him, pushing her fear to the back of her head, "Only_ _ **after**_ _I caught you screwing Melanie Crawley! It's over between us Chad!"_

 _But when Hera turned her back on him to retreat into the DiLaurentis' house, Chad yanked her hair hard and smacked her in the face, "It's not over until I say it is, Hera! God help you, if I find out you were with another guy again,_ _ **I'll kill you**_ _! Don't test me."_

 ***PLL***

"Hera? Hera Marin?"

Hera whirled around, her face breaking into a mega-watt smile when she found herself facing Christy Delaney, Chad's older sister. Christy had dark hair and grey eyes similar to Chad's; she was in the same year as Jason DiLaurentis and Melissa Hastings, and unlike her brother, Hera _adored_ Christy.

She always treated Hera like a younger sister, always showering her with affection and attention, and when Hera and Chad broke up, even though she was disappointed, she never changed her attitude regarding the younger girl.

"Christy!" Hera squealed. She ran into Christy's outstretched arms and embraced the older girl back with vigor, "I've missed you so much! How's everything? I didn't know you were back –"

"Woah, calm down. One question at a time, cutie," Christy laughed happily, her eyes twinkling with delight, "I graduated early, honor roll. I'm a doctor in training here in Rosewood."

"I'm so happy for you! I knew you would succeed," Hera beamed at her, "But I have to ask, what are you doing here?" Christy placed an arm over her shoulder and the two girls walked around the dance floor.

"I had off tonight and there was nothing better to do than to chaperone your little homecoming dance," upon noticing Hera's deadpanned look, Christy laughed loudly, "Nah, truth is, Melissa wanted company."

Hera nodded in understanding; Christy and Melissa were best friends and Melissa was assigned to announce the homecoming King and Queen, since she won the title in her high school days. The two girls began catching up before Christy had to join Melissa, just as Emily appeared at the dance with Toby by her side.

Hera gaped at Emily's shocking choice of date and made a beeline over to her friends, who were all sharing the same levels of surprise as her.

"You're here with _Toby_?" Spencer demanded the second Emily joined them after Toby rushed over to get her a drink.

"Either you've got some genius plan of sleeping with the enemy, or you've lost your mind!" Hera huffed out, her eyes widening with disbelief.

"You don't even know him," Emily snapped back; but the other liars continued to stare at Emily with incredulity.

"What is there to know?" Spencer asked rhetorically, "Who else could've helped Jenna?"

"He has _every_ reason to hate us, Em," Aria snapped, looping arms with Hera in solidarity.

Emily shook her head adamantly, "Well, he doesn't."

Throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation, Hanna exclaimed, "Emily, if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a fricking duck."

Since receiving 'A's' text, Hera and Hanna were under the impression that Emily wanted to take Maya but was too shy, _not_ Toby Cavanaugh!

Emily glared at her friends in response of their lack of support and ditched them, running over to Toby's side, much to the four liars shock and disapproval.

"Emily has completely lost her mind!" Hera breathed out, "You think Toby brainwashed her or something?"

"No, I believe Emily is doing what she does best," Spencer snapped angrily, "Trying to see the best in everybody."

"Well, Toby doesn't deserve it," Aria spat out matter-of-factly, "He's up to something."

"But what would he want with Emily?" Hanna asked fearfully. Unfortunately, her question was only met with silence.

 ***PLL***

During the dance, Spencer finally connected the dots and solved the meaning behind Toby's befuddling tattoo; '901 Free At Last: it was the day Ali disappeared. They began worrying over Emily, and Spencer managed to convince Hanna to go and snatch Jenna's file.

Fortunately, Hanna won the title Homecoming Queen, just like they all expected. Unfortunately, she wasn't there to receive her crown.

"Hanna!" Hera hissed upon noticing her twin hiding behind a pillar far away from the other students. Hera grabbed Spencer and Aria's hand and dragged them over to Hanna's side, "Who's file is that? Jenna's?"

Hanna shook her head with horrified eyes, "No, I got Toby's. Turns out, Jenna wasn't the patient," she explained, "The therapist had her come in for one session to see how she felt about Toby coming back home."

Aria gasped, "Oh my God. Well, what does it say?" she pressed on impatiently.

"Well, the dates prove he wasn't away at school when Ali disappeared. He was still here in Rosewood," Hanna said, and she wasn't the only liar unsettled by this new piece of evidence.

"What else?" Spencer asked, her eyes never leaving Hanna's bewildered ones. Hanna shoved the file into Spencer's chest as though it were a disgusting cockroach, "See for yourself. Session 12, August 15th."

 _Flashback:_

 _As they rolled Jenna away on a stretcher into an ambulance, Alison confidently strode over to Toby's side, a look of disgust and malice etched all over her face, "Think I didn't see what was going on in there?"_

 _Toby ducked his head looking like a downtrodden and beaten puppy, "It's not what it looked like."_

 _Folding her arms, Alison scoffed, "Maybe not to you!"_

" _What are you doing here, anyway?" Toby finally managed to ask, meeting Alison's cruel gaze for the first time. "What the hell did I ever do to you?"_

" _You've been peeping in my windows for years," Alison snarled maliciously, her nose twitching in disgust._

 _Toby instantly began shaking his head, and he firmly said, "I never looked in your window."_

 _A brow rose on Alison's perfect face, and for the first time, she looked taken aback. However, Alison covered it up and morphed her face into one of utmost smugness, "Well, I've looked in yours, and we're_ _ **not**_ _taking the blame for this."_

" _Oh, yes you are," Toby shot back firmly, his eyes glaring at her incredulously._

" _No," Alison spat out, her sentence forming into blackmail; her specialty. "Not unless you want the entire world to know how close you are with your stepsister," Toby's face morphed into desperation, mutely shaking his head in silent plea. Alison smirked and carried on, "You talk, and I'll make sure_ _ **everybody**_ _knows you've been doing it with her!"_

"So that's what Ali had on him?" Hera gasped, her hand covering her mouth. She was unsure whether she should feel disgust over Toby's actions or pity him for being ensnared into one of Alison's vicious traps.

"It's enough to want her dead, and us," Spencer shakily stated.

The four liars shared horror-struck looks and in sync, yelled out, "Emily!" Hanna instantly took out her phone and began dialing Emily's number.

"She's not picking up!" Hanna growled in aggravation.

"Text her," Aria hissed in fear. Hanna's fingers zoomed over her keyboard, texting Emily that they found proof of Toby killing Alison.

Unknown to the four liars, who were desperately awaiting Emily's reply, the Rosewood sign was being vandalized; a black-gloved figure spray painted over the last digit of the population census, changing it from 7988, to 7987.

 **A/N:** **I know not much happened in this chapter, but there wasn't much to tell.**

 **How did you like the flashback of Chad/Hera back in the days?**

 **Also, I introduced a new character of mine; Christy Delaney, Chad's older sister. Christy will be a recurring character, much like Melissa Hastings. What do you think of her?**

 **R &R.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Hera Marin – Candice Swanepoel.**

 **Chad Delray – Matt Bomer.**

 **Christy Delray – Phoebe Tonkin.**

 **Chapter 7:**

The lights begin to fritz, only managing to escalate the Liars worry in regards to Emily who hasn't been answering her phone ever since Hanna returned with Toby Cavanaugh's file, providing the ultimate reason why he would want Alison, and in association, the rest of the Liars, dead.

"How about we split up?" Spencer nervously suggested, garnering horrified expressions from the others.

Hera shook her head adamantly; simultaneously, Hanna scornfully retorted, "Um, why don't we _not_?"

Spencer pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation, "Look, we can easily split up and find Emily faster. You and Hera go one way and Aria and I will go the other. We'll be able to cover more ground."

Unable to throw back a perfect rebuttal and ignoring the foreboding sensation looming in the atmosphere, the Marin twins looped arms and went in the opposite direction, sticking together like Siamese twins with an iron grip onto each other. Hera began biting her lip, deep in thought as they sharpened their senses, ignoring the lights ominously flickering like the perfect reiteration of a thriller movie scene.

"What are you thinking about so intently, Her?" Hanna hissed curiously albeit a bit worriedly. Scrutinizing her twin for her coming reaction, Hera shakily breathed out, "I'm thinking about whether or not we should call Darren … I mean-, yeah, he hasn't gained any brownie points from us, but, he's a cop…"

"Hera. Relax, I was actually thinking the same," Hanna informed her sheepishly cutting into her twin's nervous rambling. Upon taking note of Hera's bewildered expression, she clarified, "Wilden may be a jerk, but I don't doubt he'd protect us or at least, _you,_ fervently."

Before Hera could counter Hanna's words, a phone ringing blared loudly, causing the twins to jump high into the air. They grabbed each other in support and ran into the chemistry laboratory, locating Emily's phone abandoned on the ground. Picking it up with wide-eyes, Hera answered the phone, eyes trailing fearfully over the ruckus left behind, "Spencer? You and Aria get your asses over to the Chem Lab. _Now!"_

Not even five minutes later, the two Liars joined the Marin twins, eliciting loud gasps into the air. The desks were all upturned, countless of beakers broken, glass shattered all over the floor.

"It's like someone took part of a brutal fight," Aria breathed out, her body trembling, her weight supported by a grimacing Spencer.

Hanna cautiously pointed a shaking finger at a small puddle of crimson, "That's not all you guys."

"Is that-, oh my _god_. That's blood!" Spencer croaked out; the four Liars exchanged desolately frightened stares, and bleakly chanted, "Emily."

 ***PLL***

While Hanna went to get rid of the evidence – Toby's file, that she had stolen the other night, Hera waited patiently for the takeout she ordered at Apple Rose Grille. Emily was in desperate need for coffee and cupcake in her current condition.

The Marin twins received a text that morning from Spencer, informing them that she was going with Aria to visit Emily since she was in bed rest. It had been quite a shock to the Liars when they got a call after locating the puddle of blood, from Mrs. Field who was on her way to Rosewood Community Hospital, saying that Emily was being treated. It was a hard pill to swallow, knowing that Toby dropped her off at the hospital and fled, and they were all wondering why he didn't kill her like he easily did Alison.

"Hera?"

Whirring around at the familiar voice, she found herself facing a concerned Darren and she smiled weakly, "Detective Wilden. Here to interrogate me?"

"No, ah," he nudged his head toward Christy Delaney who sat on an empty table and was waving enthusiastically at her, "Getting reacquainted with an old friend." Hera suppressed the cynical snort that threatened to erupt; old friend, her ass … it was a well-known fact that Darren and Christy were high school lovers before she began sleeping with him after breaking up with Chad for the umpteenth time.

"So what are you doing talking to me?" Hera questioned nonchalantly; she wasn't jealous per say, Darren was free to date whoever he wanted, yet a part of her was conflicted and her eyes widened in turmoil; no, no, no … she was _not_ crushing on the sleazy Detective. She forbade it!

"Detective Wilden, your orders up," the waitress smiled, handing over a tray with two coffee mugs and desert. Darren smirked at Hera's obvious uneasiness, "Came to collect our order, Miss Marin," back to professionalism.

"Cool," Hera nodded awkwardly, thankful that her takeout appeared in front of her and she flashed her mega-watt smile at the male waiter who flushed, his eyes roaming her body lustfully. Darren's fists clenched at the display, and he cleared his throat loudly, making the waiter scurry off in the opposite direction.

"I, uh, I've been meaning to talk with you. Wanted to check on how you were doing after Emily's attack," Darren feigned disinterest, shrugging casually. Knowing him perfectly well, Hera couldn't help but smile slightly at the concern etched on his features he wasn't able to deftly hide from her.

Opening her mouth to respond, the first word barely came out before a hand grabbed her arm tightly and she found herself staring at wide identical eyes, face shining with fear, "Hera, we have to go … _now!_ "

"Hanna. Always a pleasure," Darren drawled out.

Hanna glared at him, shooting him a hateful sneer, "Detective," barely sparing him any more attention, Hanna tugged Hera backward, "Hera, come on. Emergency meeting, pronto."

Sending a small wave to Christy and Darren, Hera grabbed the takeout bag and dashed outside into her car with Hanna, ignoring the two pairs of eyes piercing her back. "What's got your panties in a twist, Ha-, is that Toby's file? I thought we agreed on getting rid of it!" she hissed, gripping the steering wheel tight.

"I tried, Hera! The cops are practically swarming the shrink's office. They're looking for this damn file!" Hanna yelled in fear, dragging a hand roughly through her blonde locks.

Hera sucked in a deep breath, "Okay, okay, let's not have a conniption fit. Calm down, we'll see what to do with the girls." Hera hated being the voice of reason, but shit just got real.

Once they regrouped in Emily's room, Spencer, Aria and Emily shared the Marin twins' sentiment, eyes widening in fear.

"They know it was stolen," Spencer ground out.

"Way to point out the obvious Spence," Hera snarled through gritted teeth as she began pacing Emily's bedroom. Hanna nodded rapidly, "If anyone saw me go into that building last night, I am so hosed!"

Aria's cellphone began ringing, drawing the four Liars' attention on her, fearing the inevitable 'A' text. Smiling in relief, though it was strained, Aria assured them, "It's not 'A'. It's from my mom; 'Ask your father if he plans to take the car in this week.' My parents have gone from not talking to _not_ texting. Ugh, this sucks," Aria snapped angrily, slamming her phone onto the bed in aggravation.

Hera couldn't help but let out a small snort at the morbid hilarity, "It's like you're their owl or something. God, 'A' just adores ruining our lives. I mean, what did we ever do that unknown, anonymous bitch!?"

"Beats me," Spencer sighed, getting up onto her feet, "I better go home."

Aria nodded in agreement, slowly crawling off Emily's bed, "Yeah, we should probably go, too."

"Uh, no," Hanna drawled out in disbelief, making herself comfortable on Emily's bed.

"We just got here," Hera continued where her twin left off, removing her heels and scooching over to Emily's other side. Rolling their eyes fondly at the twin's finishing each other's sentences, Spencer and Aria made to leave when Hanna called them back sounding distressed.

"Hey, what do I do with that?" she pointed an accusing finger at the ominously wanted file of Toby's.

"Just shove it in your locker tomorrow. We'll figure it out later," Spencer shrugged.

"Bye."

Hanna's eyes gleamed in curiosity, pointing her thumb out the window, "Is that the car you won outside?" Emily nodded sheepishly, a smile tugging on her lips.

"You are the luckiest unlucky bitch ever. I mean, how do you go to homecoming, crack your head open and then win a Corolla in a raffle?" Hera smirked, "I mean, you gotta love the irony."

"We need to seriously talk about your karma," Hanna added, smirking too at Emily.

But Emily was glancing at the Marin twins in complete solemn, "Why did you think I would take Maya to the dance? You thought I wanted her as my date. _Why_?"

"'A' sent us a picture each-"Hanna slowly began.

"Of you and Maya kissing," Hera finished with a soft smile; Emily's eyes watered slightly when she took note of the zero judgment radiating from the Marin twins, both smiling at her gently.

"I mean, you took Toby to the dance, but then you took that picture with Maya," Hanna cautiously said, not wanting to anger their docile friend.

Emily sucked in a deep breath, avoiding eye contact with the twins, "I think I know what I want, but if I say yes to Maya, then everything would change."

"Yeah it would. Em, we don't care if you're interested in girls, or boys, or even both. You'll still be Emily Fields, one of our best friends with a huge, giving heart. Just because you discovered your inner preference, won't change a damn thing, and whoever has a problem with it, can go to hell," Hera told Emily passionately, her icy blue eyes burning with a fervent fire.

"You'll get no judgment from us," Hanna nodded in agreement.

"Uh, have you met my parents?" Emily blurted out, though gratitude radiated from her person as she grabbed a hand from each Marin, "Mr. and Mrs. Military and their _perfect_ daughter."

"You're not your parents, Em," Hera stroked Emily's hair soothingly, "We're not saying they'd accept it with open arms, but you can't keep hiding yourself forever, otherwise you'd burst sooner or later. Besides, with that 'A' bitch around… you don't want what happened to Aria in regards to her parents to happen with you."

"What she said," Hanna agreed, pointing at Hera with a grimace.

 ***PLL***

"Hera, _sweetie_ , I've been meaning to talk to you," Christy called out, joining Hera's side as she approached her car after school.

"Uh, Christy, hey," Hera beamed, allowing herself to be engulfed in a tight hug by her ex's sister, "What's up … if this is about Chad-"

"Oh, god, no," Christy laughed, smoothing her sundress, "That brother of mine really messed up with you ages ago. No, I wanted to catch up. I haven't seen you in a long time."

Hera's eyebrow arched slightly, but she kept her mouth shut, "Well, you were, uh, doing your residency, it's no biggie. We've all got things to do, Christy."

"Oh, well. I guess I feel bad I met up with Melissa and Darren before you. I always wished you'd marry Chad, and become an official member of the Delaney family," Christy beamed; Hera noted a spark of envy in the older girl's eyes and she squirmed uncomfortably. "Speaking of Darren, I didn't know you two were so close…"

Not wanting to answer the insinuation, Hera shot her a strained smile just as her phone began ringing. Groaning when she read the Caller I.D, Hera clicked on ignore and stuffed it into her purse … if it wasn't anonymous stalkers, then it was stalkers from Cali. Hera Marin was exhausted.

"Is that Darren calling?" Christy asked innocently.

"Uh, no, just someone from Boarding School," Hera responded absently, "Look, Christy, Detective Wilden is in charge of the case for Alison's death. Our relationship is strictly professional." And just like that, Christy's visage brightened, and she looked more like the elder sister who constantly adored and spoilt her rotten while she dated Chad.

"Perfect. How about we rendezvous for lunch tomorrow?" Christy suggested.

 _Flashback:_

" _Darren broke up with ME, can you believe it?_ _ **ME!**_ _" Christy sobbed frantically, yanking Hera over to her side and suffocating her with a tight hug._

 _Hera's eyes widened as she stared in complete bafflement from Melissa to Spencer. The two girls had been spending the day together watching movies and giving each other mani-pedi's when Spencer's older sister walked in with a distraught Christy._

" _Ugh, now I know how you feel with your constant breaking up and getting back together with my idiot brother," Christy continued rambling, clutching Hera tighter._

" _Chris… can, can't … breathe…" Hera choked out._

" _Christy, you're suffocating the poor girl," Melissa called out. Christy released the younger girl, eliciting a harsh intake of oxygen. "I'm so sorry, Hera. I thought Darren loved me and we'd get married, the perfect couple. I mostly keep returning to Rosewood during weekends from my residency to visit him, and he just dumped me out of the blue," she sobbed._

 _Patting her back slowly, Hera shot her a strained smile, "There are better guys out there, Christy. I'm sure you'll find the perfect man who's meant for you sooner or later."_

" _God, you're so sweet! My idiot brother doesn't deserve you. You're gold, Hery," Christy smiled, wiping away her traitorous tears, "How about we have lunch tomorrow, hmm?"_

" _I'd love to!" Hera beamed._

 _Once the older girls left, Spencer shot Hera a bewildered look, "What the hell was that?!"_

" _Something I'd like to know the answer to, too. Spence, rain check, yeah? I want to check up on Hanna."_

" _Of course, Her. I'll see you tomorrow at Alison's sleepover," Spencer called after her retreating back._

 _Twenty minutes later, Hera found herself banging on a door angrily. It swiftly opened and the man on the other side's frustrated look morphed into genuine pleasure, "Babe, what are you doing here?"_

" _Funny. I think the real question, is why you broke up with Christy?! And don't call me_ _ **babe!**_ _" Hera snarled, shoving past Darren and into his living room, hands on her hips, furiously awaiting his response._

 _Darren smirked, "Ah, come on,_ _ **baby**_ _. You rejected me 'cause you would never purposely harm Christy. So, I dumped her. Problem solved. Now we can get together without you feeling guilty."_

" _Are you fucking kidding me, Darren?! You broke up with her because of_ _ **me**_ _! That constitutes me hurting her! She just nearly suffocated me to death, bawling her eyes out because you left her! What the hell is wrong with you?"_

" _ **YOU! YOU'RE WHATS WRONG WITH ME DAMNIT!**_ _" Darren suddenly exploded, banging his fists on the wall, trapping her between his arms. "I can't stop thinking about you. Ever since that party Eric threw two months ago, and seeing that Delaney guy's hands all over you! I can't sleep, I can't eat, all I think about is you, and how sexy you look, how aloof yet kind you can be even though you're a part of that bitch Allison's posse. You're constantly in my thoughts!"_

 _Hera's mouth opened in shock, sapphire eyes widening in disbelief. She was rendered speechless as she watched one of the hottest and most popular guys who graduated Rosewood come undone right before her eyes._

" _A month later, Christy casually mentioned that you broke up with her idiot brother, and then a week later you got back together. But then a week ago, you broke up_ _ **again**_ _and she laughed. Laughed and told me that you'd eventually get back together, just like you always do, like some fucked up routine, and I broke. I could not risk you getting back with that jackass. I approached you and you told me you'd never harm Christy, so I dumped her, and here we are, both single. Take a chance, Hera. Give_ _ **us**_ _a chance," Darren pleaded her, tucking a stand behind her ear, navy blue eyes imploring her to agree._

" _D-Darren," Hera weakly placed a hand on his chest, trying to create a distance between them, "I-I, I'm sorry, but … look even with Christy out of the picture, I-I, I like_ _ **Jason**_ _, I've_ _ **always**_ _liked_ _ **Jason**_ _. Chad and I started out as me trying to make him jealous-"_

" _Jason DiLaurentis? Are you fucking with me?" Darren laughed, but there was no mirth in his tone, navy blue eyes hardening with anger and disbelief, "You deserve more than some loser drug-addict that spends more time getting high and drunk, wasting his life on crack and going nowhere."_

" _You mean someone like you? A renowned Casanova who can't keep his dick in his pants for a day?_ _ **You**_ _who enjoys cheating and has no consideration for girls' feelings whatsoever. Yeah, that's a step higher," Hera snarled sarcastically._

" _I've spent two months hooked on you, Hera Marin. I won't give up. Jason, Chad,_ _ **no one**_ _will stand in my way!" Darren yelled after Hera's retreating back._

" _Goodbye Darren. Word of advice, call Christy, and get back with her. You're wasting your time on me."_

" _We'll see about that, Hera."_

Hera's phone blared loudly, harshly snapping her out of her reverie where she sat frozen in her car with the passenger door still opened. Grumbling in annoyance, her hand began rummaging through her purse, a gasp escaping her throat as she read the message;

 **How many more lies are you going to feed Christy until you get caught?**

 **Don't worry, I won't tell…**

 **Yet. –A**

 ***PLL***

"Hanna, Hera! Spencer. Ugh, Hanna, _slow down_ ," Aria called out, running after her three friends who were dashing madly toward the shed, "Will you just slow down!"

"No, I need to get rid of Toby's damn file," Hanna yelled in retort, never wavering in her footsteps.

"Hanna, Spencer's right, you can't just burn the file out here," Aria exclaimed with wide eyes, only to grumble when Hanna barely listened to a word she said.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I'm with Hanna on this one," Hera called out through panting breaths due to the run, "If she gets caught with these files, then she's toast."

"But this is a _terrible_ idea," Spencer ground out just as Aria's phone began ringing.

"No its not! I don't want this in my house," Hanna shouted, waving Toby's file in the air like a lunatic, "I don't even want it in my locker!"

"I will mail it to the police," Spencer desperately rebutted, hoping Hanna would see sense.

"No way in hell, Spence. It could easily be traced back to Hanna," Hera snapped in disbelief.

"How are they gonna trace it back to you? _I'm_ the one licking the envelope," Spencer was getting extremely annoyed; the Marin twins were stubborn, dead set on destroying the file.

Hanna shook her head rapidly, eyes narrowing at Spencer and Aria, "Guys! _I'm_ the one who works in that building. _I'm_ also the one who _always_ gets caught."

Aria approached the hassled blonde cautiously as though freaked she might pounce at any second or do something crazy that they'd all regret, "Hanna, Spencer's right. Burning the folder out here is a bad idea if the police could use it to build a case against Toby. He had a motive to kill Alison!"

" _And_ they can also prove that I broke into his shrink's office," Hanna pointed out angrily. Sighing loudly, she massaged her temple, "Look, I really can't afford to take any more field trips to the precinct. I'm _pretty sure_ after three strikes; you're assigned to the prison laundry room."

"Hanna, what strikes? You were just trying to save your friend," Spencer said bewilderly.

"Enough! You two, _seriously?_ I'd rather Hanna be away from prison, than lock Toby behind bars. She's my sister! Nothing is more important than that!" Hera shouted loudly, garnering two sheepish looks from the opposing Liars.

Hanna smiled gratefully at her sister before piercing Spencer and Aria with a determined glare, "Look, I have already gotten busted for stealing sunglasses _and_ my boyfriend's car."

"Wait, you stole sunglasses? From who?" Spencer demanded, ever the lawyers' daughter.

"Not from a person, from a _store_. God, I have some class," Hanna looked gravely offended, prompting a bout of laughter from Hera.

"Wait, are you talking about those … the Gucci one with the gold-"

"Focus!" Spencer abruptly interjected Aria's fashion rambling, "Okay, Hanna, this is _not_ about petty theft! Toby could be the killer! We can't keep making these same mistakes over _and over again_."

"We?" Hera and Hanna scoffed.

"Yes, _we!_ " Spencer rebutted in annoyance, "Okay? _We_ are all in this together. _We_ are all being stalked by 'A' and if he's run off-"

"We don't know for sure that he's 'A', Spence. It could be Jenna, or god knows who else. The list goes on and on and on," Hera snapped.

Spencer's eyebrows rose as she regarded Hera in disbelief, "Please! Have you gotten _one_ single text since last night?"

"YES!" Hera screamed at the top of her lungs, silencing the three other Liars in an instant as they all gaped at the infuriated blonde in disbelief and fear. Calming herself down, Hera pierced each Liar with a glare, " _Yes_. I received a text early this morning. 'A' has it out for me the most. So I doubt Toby is 'A' since he's on the run," turning to Hanna, she yanked Toby's file from her grip and tossed it into the river, eliciting three gasps from behind.

"Damn, I thought I'd look happier," Hanna murmured as she watched the papers float down the stream.

"There. It's done now. The file is gone, we're safe. I won't let 'A' get one over Hanna, it's enough this shim person has me on the top of its stalker list," Hera gritted out.

"Let's just hope this won't be something on our long list of things we regret," Spencer murmured, unable to wash away the foreboding feeling in her chest.

"I suggest we leave. It's creepy here," Aria hissed, grabbing Hera's hand and tugging her away from the river as the last piece of paper floated away and out of sight.

 ***PLL***

The next day, Spencer called Hera to meet her at Emily's, sounding very urgent.

"Okay, this better be good. I'm supposed to meet Christy for lunch in an hour," Hera called out as she joined Spencer and Emily's side.

"You were right about Toby," Spencer whispered, unable to hold eye contact with Hera.

"What-, why, what happened?" Hera whipped around to face a grimacing Emily when she got no answer from Spencer, "You guys… tell me. What's wrong?"

"The cops stopped by the Cavanaugh's last night. Jenna sat in the front porch crying, apparently … no, actually, Toby's motorcycle was found, smashed up, nobody knows if Toby is alive," Emily slowly whispered each word as though they had a heavy weight on her conscience.

"Oh my god," Hera slumped down beside Emily, "And… there's an 'and', isn't there?"

Wordlessly, Spencer handed over Emily's phone.

 **Thanks for getting Toby out of my way. –A**

 _Well … FUCK!_

 **A/N:** **Sorry for the long wait, I hope this chapter made up for it!**

 **I enjoyed writing the Darren/Hera Flashback; Darren has a soft side, no matter how douchy he acts. Did you like soft, love-struck Darren? Let me know what you think …**

 **How do you like Christy Delaney's character till now?**

 **R &R!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Hera Marin – Candice Swanepoel.**

 **Chad Delray – Matt Bomer.**

 **Christy Delray – Phoebe Tonkin.**

 **Chapter 8:** **Please, Do Talk About Me When I'm Gone:**

Idles chatter was being traded in between planning for Alison's memorial as the five Liars regrouped once again after the harsh message from 'A' portraying Toby's disappearance; Toby –the elephant in the room, was ignored, a unanimous, mute and mutual agreement.

Emily was experiencing a major amount of guilt due to Jenna's depression and Toby's probable death, slash, accident; Aria's turmoil being her mother finally moving out, snagging an apartment above her gallery and Spencer tactlessly implied that since Mr. Montgomery cheated, he should have been the one to move out, and obviously, that argument didn't go so well with a furious Aria Montgomery. The Marin twins, Hera and Hanna, merely sat by the corner, adding in their input whenever they deemed it safe.

Clearing her throat, Spencer adopted a professional voice, returning to the subject in hand of Alison's memorial, "I called Shelly Leonard, and I told her that if she plays anything depressing, I will kick in her cello."

"How eloquent of you, Spence," Hera snorted with a wry grin, receiving a playful glare in return from said studious best friend. Sticking out her tongue, Hera continued, "Anyways… what about the program? All done?"

Spencer nodded, " _Almost_ done. But we should finish it before Ali's brother gets here-"

 _CRASH!_

The four Liars stared bewilderly at Hera, their eyes simultaneously flickering from her unblinking shocked stare and rapidly paling face, to the glass of water that had recently been in her hand and was now shattered on the floor, water seeping into the carpet. Hera shook her head rapidly, snapping out of her shocked trance and ducked, kneeling down on the floor and carefully plucking the shards of glass. Hanna shot her twin a suspicious yet concerned glance and brought the trashcan nearby, helping her clear off the mess she created.

Emily's large brown orbs gleamed in worriment, "Her, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Totes fine, uh, _Jason's_ coming back?" Hera stammered nervously, dragging her fingers through her blonde-red hair and staring at Spencer inquisitively.

Spencer bobbed her head in an excruciatingly slow demeanor, "Yeah, um, you didn't know?"

"N-No, uh, when is he coming? _Why_ is he coming?" Hera stumbled on her words, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, burying her nerves and ignoring the way her heart was thudding loudly against her ribcage and threatening to implode.

"Hera…" Hanna trailed off unsurely, her sapphire eyes widening in confusion, uncertain as to why the arrival of Alison's older brother would have such an impact on her usually laidback and confidant older twin.

Suspicion and curiosity etched itself onto Spencer's visage, but she obediently responded under the solemn inquisitive gaze of her best friend, "He's coming back tonight, but he asked to meet with us all tomorrow in the morning."

Completely oblivious to Hera's perturbing demeanor, Aria laughed dryly, effectively clearing out the tense mood in the room, "God, you know what? I _barely_ remember Jason."

"We didn't _know_ him. He was just Ali's _older brother_ down the hall," Emily snorted, catching on to Aria's thoughts. Deciding to stew over Hera's distressed reaction later on by her lonesome, she placed it in the back-burner and said, "Jason was always behind the closed door, with his hardcore-punk music vibrating the floorboards."

The girls all threw their heads back and roared with laughter, with the exception of Hera who merely chuckled humorlessly, avoiding eye-contact with the rest of the liars, especially since Spencer and Hanna already had their misgivings about her abrupt shock and she cursed her obvious reaction. In her defense, she never imagined ever running into Jason DiLaurentis again once she made the decision to run off to Boarding School in Cali, and the careless usage of his name in conversation along with his rapidly random return had her nerves on edge; after all, Darren was the _only_ living soul that knew of her immense crush turned to enamored love of the older drug-addict; the other person, Alison, was dead, taking her secret with her to the grave.

Once the laughter diminished, Hanna asked the question she was most curious of, "How did he get into an Ivy League school?"

"I don't know. It must've been affirmative action for Goths and Emos," Spencer retorted with a scoff, effectively insulting him rudely, and Hera was surprised at the pang in her heart caused by Spencer's harsh words, and her stomach flipped … it was obvious to the blonde that her reaction was a symptom of not having gotten over the older boy and she inwardly cussed.

The girls returned to the topic of planning the memorial, crowing over its beauty; Emily smiled proudly, "The pedestal is already out there, next to the bench."

"So, it goes up on Friday morning, and we're … done!" Hera beamed, concluding the plans for Ali's memorial.

Aria smiled and softly asked, "You think Jason will like it?"

Hera's stomach flipped again at the causal mention of Jason's name and had the turmoil debated in her head. She had to mellow out, Hera couldn't risk acting like a bumbling, stuttering, love-struck fool once they confronted Jason the next day, but the mere idea of finally coming face-to-face with the man of her dreams, the person she never once stopped loving ever since it started off as an innocent childhood crush at the age of eleven brought about a nervous reaction and sweaty palms.

"Of course he'll like it," Spencer scoffed arrogantly, snapping Hera out of her trance-like state. Unknown to her, Hanna noted her turmoil and decided to change the atmosphere, "You know, years from now, people are gonna see this memorial and that's all they'll ever know about Ali. She'll be the girl that they dedicated the bench to, and we'll be gone, but Ali will still be remembered."

A previously flippant remark uttered long-ago struck Hera like a flashback on replay, and she spoke up in a hushed voice, her eyes flickering toward each of the other Liars, " _That's immortality, my darlings._ " Her words had the instantaneous effect of throwing them all into a flashback that happened with Alison in this very room.

 _Flashback:_

 _Alison giggled as she put down a romance novel and grinned at the five other girls. "I wish we could just choose the age we wanted to be and just stay there. The only way to do that is to die young, leave a beautiful corpse," she spoke worshipfully in a hushed voice, her cerulean eyes gleaming at the mere thought._

" _Don't joke," Emily instantly snapped, brown doe eyes gazing at Alison in shock._

 _Alison rolled her eyes and grinned at Emily's still shocked face, "It's not a joke. Oh, come on," she stressed upon noticing_ _ **all**_ _her friends were staring at her agape, and she clarified, "Haven't you_ _ **ever**_ _thought how deliciously tragic it'd be, to die in some incredibly_ _ **mysterious**_ _way? That would be … superior."_

 _Hera couldn't help herself from scoffing derogatorily, "Don't be so morbid, Ali." Hanna, being the complete opposite of her twin in personality and attitude, nervously squeaked, "Is that really how you wanna go, Alison?"_

" _Not just yet," Alison shrugged nonchalantly with a soft smile._

" _Don't talk like that! It's gruesome," Spencer snapped._

 _Alison tutted and shook her head as though the five girls were being troublesome toddlers, "It's not gruesome._ _ **It's immortality, my darlings**_ _."_

"Guess she got her morbid wish," Hera couldn't help but scoff, though her icy eyes hardened and had a sorrowful tint to them.

"Where did she get that from, a movie?" Hanna asked, shivering from the goosebumps that erupted on her arms at the sudden flashback and Alison's correct prediction.

"Ali _was_ a movie," Emily sighed, her eyes drifting off into some deep, unknown thought. And just like that, the subject was closed, again, it being a unanimous, mute and mutual decision.

 ***PLL***

Hera sauntered into the kitchen, wringing her wrists nervously, knowing that today she would finally see Jason in the flesh. She made sure to have donned on a sexy, yet casual outfit, not wanting to seem too obvious. She had on her tight, red mini-shorts and a plain white tube top that brought out her voluptuous cleavage, highlighted her golden tan and red locks, and wore her red Louboutin pumps. Her hair was curled in waves, cascading down to her stomach were her belly piercing casually showed. Yes, Hera Marin looked devastatingly sexy, yet in a complete casual way and without trying so hard.

"What are we talking about? The tension is practically oozing in the room," Hera dismissively inquired as she snatched a peach-yoghurt from the fridge and plumped into the open seat by the bar next to Hanna who looked distinctly ruffled.

Hanna groused out with a ton of attitude, "Oh, nothing much. Just how humiliating it was when the store clerk took my credit card away. Apparently we're short on cash."

Ashley Marin sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, "I was _trying_ to keep this off your radar. We just have to make some adjustments. _Temporary_ adjustments. We need to be _careful_ about money."

"For how long?" Hanna questioned her mortifying rage morphing into concern.

"Until we don't have to anymore," was Ashley's vague reply, avoiding eye contact with the twins.

Hera shrewdly stared at her mother, "And how long is _that_?"

"I don't know," Ashley deflected, once again; let it be known that the Marin women were extremely skilled in the affinity of postponement and deflection, avoiding topics with the blink of an eye.

"Well, when _will_ you know?" Hanna adamantly asked; stubbornness, another affinity the Marin woman shared, and Hanna portrayed that certain affliction in spades.

Ashley sighed, her eyes flickering around the kitchen, and she began gesturing a hand toward the breakfast laid on the table, " _This_ is a visual representation of what I'm talking about. Skim milk, orange juice, and some yoghurt. _No_ flavored waters, _no_ cunning chardonnay, nothing from the artisan cheese shop."

"Mom, what happened?" Hera asked worriedly; before she departed to California, the household never suffered through a shortage of cash, and they were practically swimming in moolah … of course, that was before Dad ditched the joint and his _family_ for that bitch Isabelle and her dull and dreary daughter, Kate with the horrendous split-ends.

Sparing her twins a pitying gaze, Ashley revealed the harsh reality, " _What happened_ is a mortgage and bills and taxes. The fact that this is a _one_ -paycheck family, and we can't live in a two-paycheck life. I thought I could compensate for your dad going, but it's been _hard_. Harder than I expected," their mom desolately concluded.

"How hard?" Hanna adamantly retorted.

A beat of silence, "It's not the first card to be declined." Hera's eyes widened at the severity of their money issue and Hanna let out a sharp intake of breath. The two girls stood up to meet the girls at Spencer's, when Ashley called out, "Hera, one minute. I noticed that you haven't used any of the credit cards I gave you since you returned from Boarding School, yet you're spending money on shopping and are currently wearing _Louboutin_ … is there something I should know?" Ashley gazed inquisitively at her while Hanna stared wide-eyed at the gorgeous designer heels her sister had currently donned on.

Hera smiled innocently and shrugged, "Mom, I told you before, I got a great job when I was in Cali and I've a lot of money left-over. So you don't need to worry about me."

Guilt plagued Hera's mind for the lie she spoon-fed her mother and her twin quite easily; Hera hated lying to her twin more than anything, but it wasn't like she could go out and confess the real reason for her raking in the dough. The reason … the _real_ reason was that she had someone behind the scenes, someone from California, paying for her to continue living a luxurious life. Hera was adamant in keeping her cherished benefactor a secret, and not just from her family and friends, but from 'A'.

Swallowing the large lump residing in her throat, and suppressing the huge urge to flee from the premises for what awaited her, Hera summoned all the bravado and confidence she could muster and kept the deft mask she formulated at California, and sauntered into the Hasting's House, her arm coolly looped with Hanna's.

Unfortunately, nothing could have prepared Hera for the moment when she finally laid eyes on Jason DiLaurentis.

He was … otherworldly; there was no other word that could describe Jason's beauty. Gone was the gothic, rag-tag, drunken and vastly high stupor that had always been affiliated with Jason's visage. His honey-blonde hair lost its previous shagginess and was trimmed properly with flair, like a bank manager or a lawyer; his jade green eyes shone with health, luster, sobriety and determination, lacking its previous cloudy, murky, absent and dazed stare. He greatly resembled Adonis and an adept sculpture would be envious of Jason's form, especially in the expensive, labeled suit he currently wore, casting away the loose jeans and wife-beater shirts he used to don on.

A multitude of blinking later, Hera swallowed, successfully eviscerating the annoying lump that lodged in her throat and allowed her mega-watt smile to dance across her visage; in Hera's trance-like state where she was busy checking Jason's new look, _his_ roaming and scoping of her own body went unnoticed.

"What took you two so long?" and there was Spencer's snappishness and impatience rearing its ugly head.

Hanna rolled her eyes and yanked Hera alongside her towards the congregated group by the island, "Family business with mom. Chill out, Spence, we're not _that_ late."

"Besides," Hera smirked, acting nonchalant, "Hanna insisted on driving, and you know how slow she is when compared to me." Hanna smacked her arm lightly, Aria and Emily laughed and Spencer even managed to spill a weak smile.

Jason cleared his throat, his eyes boring in on Hera, "Hanna, Hera? Wow, you two look … different. If I wasn't expecting you, I wouldn't have recognized you, girls." Hanna beamed in gratitude and Hera smiled softly, "Thanks, Jason. It's uh, good to see you."

 _Ka-Ching_. Awkward greeting and stare-off could be discarded from the list, and pride washed over Hera's countenance, glad that she hadn't made a fool of herself in front of Jason.

Conversation flowed effortlessly, when finally, Jason shared his opinion, "I was saying you've done some lovely work on the memorial. I might've done one or two things differently but we can adjust that along the way," he handed over a piece of paper to a dumbfounded Spencer, "Here's a copy of the program for the dedication."

"I emailed you the program that _we_ worked up," Spencer retorted in bemusement.

Jason nodded slowly, "R _i_ ght. I saw the draft. This just fine-tunes it. Let's see," he summarized, "If Shelly Leonard's gonna play something, I don't think we can give her more than three minutes. I remember she's somewhat of a showboat with that cello. Then, uh, _oh_ , is this the picture for the program?"

Hera placed a comforting hand atop Spencer's, taking note of her angry twitches, and tried to alleviate the tension; smiling warmly at Jason, she smoothly spoke up, "Yes. It's everybody's favorite. It was unanimously decided."

Spencer calmed down and shot Hera a thankful smile once Jason smiled warmly and said, "It's the one I would have picked." All six occupants stared for a moment at the picture of Alison, her eyes sparkling with joy and a radiating smile on her visage, dressed in a yellow loose tank top. Clearing his throat once again, Jason briskly continued, "I thought I was gonna be able to get my whole family out here, but, you know, at the last minute, my mom, uh-"he breathed out harshly from his nose and chuckled dryly, "It's crazy talking about this, isn't it? When I think of her, I think about you. The six of you in her bedroom, laughing, keeping secrets; long time ago. I want each of you to speak, I'd rather hear from you than Miss Slocomb from the PTA," he suddenly informed them, visibly shocking the Liars into a stupor.

A tad bit insulted in her defense, Emily blurted out, "The PTA was a lot of help."

"What about the rain? Jason deflected naturally.

"The rain?" Aria asked dumbly.

Jason nodded informatively, "Forty percent chance before the weekend."

"They said that we can use the school's multipurpose room, if we have to move the ceremony inside," Spencer announced matter-of-factly.

"Great," Jason sighed, his eyes drifting over once again to the picture of Alison. "People think this dedication is about closure. There won't be closure until they found out who did this to Alison. The cops in this town have been jerking my family around for more than a year. No more of that. I'm here to get some action, and this memorial is gonna help me get it," as an afterthought, Jason added, "Oh, and I'm adding one speaker to the program. Jenna Marshall."

"What?" Hera shrieked, prompting Jason to whip around and face her in scrutiny, "You want Jenna to speak? Jenna- Jenna _Marshall_? They weren't even friends."

"I was as surprised as you, but she was quite insistent," Jason slowly articulated, staring Hera down with a boatload of suspicion; Hanna elbowing her didn't go unnoticed by his sharp eyes, "Jenna called and said my sister was a lot of help to her after her accident. Anyways, concentrate on what you're gonna say and leave the rest of it to me. Now I'm gonna talk with Detective Wilden," Hera visibly flinched and Hanna hurriedly placed a hand over hers in support – that didn't go unnoticed by Jason either, "-and find out why they haven't located Toby yet."

And with one last suspicious glance at Hera, he departed the house.

"Did we just get fired?" Hanna huffed the second the door slammed shut.

Spencer hushed her immediately, and Aria fretfully spoke up, "Why is he talking to Jenna?"

"I don't know. But no matter what, Ali wouldn't want her speaking jackshit in the memorial," Hera sneered, crossing her arms indignantly. The causal way Jason dismissed her plagued her mind, but Hera woke up to the harsh reality years ago when she was dating Chad and began her fling with Darren, that Jason DiLaurentis would never, ever, _ever_ be interested in his dead kid sister's best friend.

 ***PLL***

"You know, this is getting old, _real_ quick," Hanna grumbled, stomping into the Principal's office and sinking into the opposite seat facing Detective Darren Wilden, who had, _once again_ , called her in from class for an 'interrogation'. "Do you need something?"

"Actually, yeah," Darren smirked, that damn cocky smile never wavering, "I was wondering if Emily had heard from Toby Cavanaugh since he went missing."

Hanna glared at him in annoyance, an undercurrent of amusement on her expression, "Do I _look_ like Emily? Ask _her_."

Leaning back on the chair, Darren was the perfect picture of innocence, "I thought you girls shared everything."

"Well you thought wrong," Hanna said archly, turning her tone bitter, "Otherwise, they'd all know you used to 'hangout' with my sister behind the scenes." Those words consumed him and his attention rose tenfold; gone was the cocky smirk and the lackadaisical lounging; gone was the smug superiority; Detective Darren Wilden was tense and angry, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"She told you!"

Hanna scoffed, " _No_. Rather I found out. I mean, come _oo_ on, I know my twin! The last time you confronted her in school, it was quite obvious. I asked, and she honestly replied. Unfortunately, your secret is safe, but only for _her_ sake. So let's cut the crap and tell me why you _really_ brought me here."

Darren sighed loudly, slumping in defeat and for the first time, Hanna witnessed the genuine concern and doubt buried deep in his smug, annoying, double-faced and repulsive exterior … a man in love. With her twin sister, no less. And Hanna didn't know what to think. The cards may have been turned, but she was extremely nervous and was oblivious on how to act with the changed Wilden.

"Alison's brother is in town. Jason," Darren slowly articulated, sharply studying her face for any change, but Hanna merely shrugged and clarified, "He's here for the dedication of Ali's memorial."

The ignorance and the genuine honesty prompted Darren to retreat in confusion before the truth flashed before his very eyes; Hanna Marin was unaware of Hera's frank feelings toward Jason DiLaurentis. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Darren knew that the ' _interrogation'_ had come to its end; he was under the impression that he would be able to collect information on Hera and Jason, but since she was clueless…

"He's here for more than that," Darren averted, "He came into my office yesterday to make noise about how he doesn't like the way things have been handled."

Uncaringly, Hanna shrugged and shot Darren a 'duh' look, "I'm pretty sure he's entitled to that. If it were Hera in Alison's place, I'd do worse. I'd create havoc and hound you nonstop until the killer is found." Hanna's eyes significantly widened at the violent flinch her words provoked; Hanna couldn't believe it … Darren Wilden was completely enamored by her sister, and here she thought the sleazy detective had no heart or compassion.

"You can-, you're dismissed Hanna. Sorry for disrupting your day, you can go back to class," Darren uttered woefully; as Hanna walked out of the office, she paused by the doorway and glanced backwards, the surprising and uninvited emotion of pity engulfing her at the tragic loss radiating from Darren's visage due to her sister's continuous rejections.

 ***PLL***

Jason approached the five liars who were congregated by the lockers, informing them about him being in charge now with Alison's death after his conversation with the Detective and Principle Hartman, when Spencer made a snarky comment.

"Okay, is … is there a problem?" Jason stared inquisitively at Spencer, but Emily decided to take the reins before Spencer's attitude made the situation worse.

"There's no problem. You're Alison's brother. You should have the final say, but you're not the only one dealing with this," Emily snapped, subtly bringing up the memorial incident from the other day at Spencer's.

Jason chuckled humorlessly, his jade orbs flickering at each Liar, "See, there's that closed door again. The secrets of the girls, cuddled up in Alison's bedroom. Do you think that means you knew her better than I did?"

"No. It just means we knew her in a different way," Hanna retorted neutrally.

The familiar voice of Detective Wilden diverted their attention to the hallway; Jason and each Liar witnessed him approach Toby's locker with a couple of Rosewood's finest.

"What are they doing?" Aria asked hesitantly.

"That's Toby's locker," Emily gasped; the six of them approached Detective Wilden, whose eyes subtly flashed with an indistinguishable emotion once his eyes lay upon Hera, who awkwardly shifted and moved closer to Hanna's side.

"Detective Wilden," Jason impassively greeted him, frowning delicately at the bizarre, indecipherable scene that shifted before his eyes between Darren, Hera and Hanna – an action that only his sharp eyes took note of before the Detective adopted complete professionalism.

"You'll find this interesting," Darren smirked at Jason, ignoring Hera's presence at the moment, "We're having a look in Toby Cavanaugh's locker."

Jason scoffed and scornfully quipped, "Why? Do you think he's hiding in there?"

"He's a suspect," Darren snarled through gritted teeth, trying to keep his professional composure and not lash out; ever since Hera confided in him her deepest love and affection toward DiLaurentis, he hated the guy with every fiber of his being.

Jason's eyes narrowed in on the contents of the locker upon noticing a pair of gym socks, "Your investigation better turn up more than Toby Cavanaugh's old gym socks."

Sighing with frustration, Darren crossed his arms, " _You_ said you wanted action. I'm trying to give that to you."

Jason couldn't help but bite back with fire, "Yeah, you've got nothing. I realized that yesterday."

"Sometimes, Jason, we withhold information on the progress of an investigation to avoid any interruptions," Darren's eyes flickered toward Hera before quickly snapping back to Jason's unblinking gaze.

Shaking his head in scorn, Jason said, "The only reason you're tearing this kid's locker apart is because he's not around to object." And Hera couldn't suppress the aggressive flinch at hearing Jason call Toby, a boy her age, a _kid_. More proof that that is all she would ever be in retrospect… his _kid_ sister's _kid_ best friend.

Darren's husky voice snapped her from her melancholic thoughts, "Toby called your sister's cellphone the night she disappeared. I checked the phone records. She took the call," and Darren couldn't help but smugly smirk at Jason as he desperately tried to keep an impassive expression. Both men instantaneously whipped around upon hearing the hushed whisperings of the five Liars, their heads leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner and they strained to hear their words.

"Toby called Alison the night she died," Spencer stated in shock, eyes widening in fear. But Hera's words had an impact on her fellow Liars and the two eavesdropping men, " _Or_ somebody else did using _his_ phone."

"Hera-"

"No, Aria. I'm not convinced. I feel it in my bones. Toby _isn't_ Ali's killer," she snapped in retort; her phone suddenly blared with a message, causing the Liars to stiffen, all eyes staring expectantly at Hera who shakily opened the message;

 **Freaky Threesome, Hooker Hera.**

 **Still having the hots for my brother? Poor, poor Darren.**

 **The secrets are piling up, Hera. Don't worry, your secret is safe…**

… **For now. –A**

"Hera? Was it-"

Interrupting Spencer, Hera quickly pocketed her phone and stammered, "I gotta go."

"Hera!" Hanna called after her sister's retreating back, before sighing, "What the hell just happened?"

"What do you think? That bitch is still playing with us," Aria retorted angrily.

Spencer nudged the other three forward, "Let's try and catch up with her. Come on."

Jason was left to ponder the scene that transpired with the girls – something seemed … _off_. Sighing, he walked away, leaving Detective Wilden to wallow in despair, concern and suspicion.

 ***PLL***

Hera was seething.

Ultimately, she was _pissed off_!

The call from Spencer not wanting to confront Jason about the memorial alone was a godsend and she arrived at the Hastings' Resident before Jason was due. After watching Hera gobble down a bag of cookie dough, Spencer decided to intervene, "Okay, what happened?"

"Why would you assume something's wrong?" Hera bit back innocently, dusting the remaining crumbs from the tabletop.

Spencer deadpanned, an eyebrow rose in skepticism, "Other than the fact that you've been considerably frazzled the past few days, and the incident that happened today at school after receiving whatever message you got. You barged in here resembling an incensed inferno and made a beeline to the cookie dough and chowed it down without pausing for a breath. _Talk to me,_ Her."

"Hanna's an oblivious bitch!" Hera suddenly blurted out, "She wanted to go out with Sean, but he didn't want to leave Noah and Chad alone, so she got Aria to go as Noah's date and had the fucking _gall_ to yell at me for not agreeing to be Chad's date. Can you believe that?" she sucked in a deep breath, and huffed before plowing onwards – both girls were so immersed in the conversation that they didn't notice Jason had arrived and was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed; "Chad and I broke up eons ago. He's like an insane stalker, assuming he has some sort of freaky alpha male claim on me. And Hanna wants to add more fuel to the fire by _forcing_ me to go out with him. Chad Delaney is a hundred shades of _fucked up_ , and I am not about to be guilted into opening that can of worms. Hanna should know better!"

Spencer sighed in sympathy and smiled, "C'mon, Her, you should know by now that Hanna doesn't have a filter, and sometimes doesn't think before she talks. Besides, you never _told us_ _why_ you broke it off with Chad in the first place."

Hera shifted uncomfortably, "Let's just say he's a creep and wasn't what I expected and leave it at that."

"Am I interrupting something?" Jason announced, inwardly smiling in amusement at the terrified expressions that appeared on the girls' face as they clutched a hand to their chest.

"Uh, um, n-no," Hera stammered; simultaneously, Spencer breathed out harshly, "Damnit, Jason, you scared us."

Jason smirked, approaching them, "Sorry. Hera I didn't know you were going to be here for this. But never mind. Let's get this over with."

"Right," Spencer straightened up in her seat, "So, you were right about the weather. Rain starting at midnight, continuing throughout the day."

Jason nodded knowingly, "I'll just be glad when this is over."

Shrewdly, Hera's eyes narrowed in on Jason, ignoring the mushy feelings in her belly, "Are we talking about the dedication or finding out what happened to Ali?"

"Both. I guess," Jason's eyes gleamed surreptitiously as he held eye contact with Hera. His jade orbs flickered back to Spencer, and he continued, "Dedication will be fine, thanks to you. And I lit a fire under the cops.

"Did you know that Toby called Alison?" Spencer curiously inquired.

"No," Jason answered with a vehement shake of the head, "Wilden shouldn't have told me, but he was easy to shake up. Like most bullies," his eyes narrowed in interest when Hera shifted uncomfortable at the mention of the Detective, "You two were the only ones who _ever_ really challenged Alison. Hera, you more than Spencer. I remember hearing you three getting in each other's grills a couple of times. Kept waiting for the cat fight, but never happened. Although, you Hera, I was impressed that your words impacted Alison more. She always did mention that you were her favorite."

"Yeah, well. It's ridiculous to fear your friends and loved ones, don't you think? Ali and I challenged each other," Hera shrugged trying to avert the topic in hand as the atmosphere shifted. Later on, in the privacy of her room, Hera would recognize the emotion flickering in Jason's eyes when he looked at her, to be admiration.

"Who do you think killed Alison?" Spencer suddenly blurted out.

Recalling Hera's vehement defense of Toby, Jason scrutinized the girls carefully and pronounced each word clearly, searching for any visible reaction, "Police like Toby Cavanaugh. If they can't find him, they'll start liking someone else."

"Just someone, or someone in particular?" Hera piped up.

Jason's eloquent retort shocked them to the core, "Does it really matter?"

"I thought you said you wanted closure," Spencer quizzically replied.

Silent stretched out in the room, before Jason finally sighed and spoke up, "My mom still needs pills to get to sleep. When they don't work, you can hear her walking around the house at three in the morning. You think you're ever gonna really have closure? Aren't you always gonna be the friends of that girl who was murdered?"

"Just like you'll always be her brother…"Hera trailed off in a desolate whisper, her heart aching and wanting nothing more but to reach out for Jason, hating herself for her inability to move on from him and clamp those feelings.

Jason nodded dejectedly, "That's how people will see us. They solve it, or they don't, that's not gonna change, so, I guess it doesn't really matter."

"But what about _justice_?" Spencer shouted indignantly.

Jason cocked an eyebrow and shook his head, "You don't really wanna bring justice into this, do you?"

"Why not?" Spencer and Hera chorused in confusion.

The next words that emanated from Jason's mouth, chilled the two Liars to the bone, and they could hear the blood rushing in and a pounding in their head.

"Alison told me about the fire," jade orbs gleaming, suspicion arising at the complete and utter _fear_ those six words aroused. "About how you, Spencer, said the six of you should all go over and teach Toby a lesson. How you got the stink bomb from my room and convinced the rest of the girls to back you up. How you threatened Toby if he told the truth."

Hera was devoid speechless; Spencer on the other hand, still found the ability to use her tongue, "Alison told you that?"

"Yes, she did," he replied with conviction, his eyes more interested in observing the speechless and dumbstruck blonde.

Spencer gulped audibly, "Did you believe her?" When Jason didn't deem her question with an answer, she snarled, "You are just like Alison, aren't you?"

Jason sighed forlornly, "In some ways, even worse-"

"That conniving little _bitch_!" Hera finally sneered, diverting the attention back to her.

" _Hera_ ," Spencer shook her head in warning. Touched she may be of Hera's unwavering defense and solidarity toward her, she didn't want any trouble to be thrown at her. But Hera merely shot out a hand to silence her, and glared at Jason, her current feelings towards him buried deeply in her furious rage.

"I love Alison so _oo_ much! But your sister is a. _Conniving. Little. Bitch._ Not to tarnish your respectable image of your little sister, and not to speak bad about the dead, but _Alison_ was the one who bulldozed us into throwing the stink bomb _she_ stole from your room. Spence, Em, Aria, Han and I were the ones to argue with her that it was wrong, and _your_ _sister_ was the one who threatened Toby into taking the blame. So why don't you suck on that harsh truth. Don't believe everything you hear, Jason, 'cause even though we all love and adore Ali, I think it's pretty much a well renowned fact that she lies as much as she breathes."

Spencer felt a warm feeling consume her at Hera's words and overprotective nature; Jason, on the other hand, was torn between admiration and offense, but before he could retort to Hera's heated words, she walked out of the house, leaving behind a solemn silence and conflicted emotions from the mourning brother.

Unbeknownst; that was the moment Jason DiLaurentis' interest in Hera Marin spiked.

 ***PLL***

The Liars sat in their respective seats, waiting for the mass to arrive so that they could begin the memorial, and Spencer was currently informing Hanna, Aria and Emily about Alison placing the blame of the Jenna Thing on her to Jason. Shock could not even cover the emotion that the other three Liars were experiencing at the turn in events.

"I said it yesterday, and I'll say it again," Hera announced, ignoring Jason who was sitting a few feet away from her and who could probably hear every word uttered, "Alison was a conniving little bitch. She was smart. Throwing blame behind the scenes so that she could come out as innocent. God, she always had an ace up her sleeve, a _lll_ ways ten steps ahead."

"That's Ali," Emily sighed forlornly.

Hanna turned to face Hera and blurted out, "I'm sorry. About yesterday. You were right and I was wrong. It was completely tactless of me to force you into triple dating with your ex-boyfriend. So, _I'm_ _sorry_."

Hera beamed and engulfed her ditzy twin in a suffocating hug, "You're forgiven. Just … next time, remember, Chad is like Voldemort, we do not speak his name around me."

"Voldemort?" Spencer scoffed before erupting into laughter, however, her eyes widened and laughter ceased when her eyes met a familiar face, and she gasped out, " _Ian_?"

"Wait, _Melissa's_ Ian?" Hanna parroted, whipping around to face the handsome man in question, his cerulean eyes glittering at them as he approached Jason and engulfed him in a manly hug.

After that startling discovery, the girls stood up in turn and walked onto the stage, dedicating a few wonderful words to describe their friendship with Alison DiLaurentis, tearing up slightly at the sentiment as they vividly recalled the bright girl they all knew and loved ever since they were six years old.

Finally, the nerve-wracking moment approached and the five Liars held in their breath and avoided eye contact with Jason as they observed Jenna walk up the stage, and she ominously opened her mouth, "My whole life, I thought I knew who she was. But I found out the truth when she came and talked to me at the hospital. I found out that she was the strongest person that I have ever met, and it's her strength that touched so many people, shaped them. _That's_ her real legacy. _That's_ how her memory will endure; in the actions of those she inspired in so many different ways. From all of us, thank you, Alison."

"What a load of crock. I think I'm gonna hurl from all the fake niceties," Hera sneered as the memorial concluded and the five Liars exited the multipurpose room. The loud clearing of a throat from behind them had Hera's eyes widen and she slowly turned around to face an amused Jason staring at her inquisitively.

"Jason. Hi, uh, you didn't hear us say anything did you?" Hanna jibed with a nervous chuckle, her nails digging into Hera's arm, prompting a hiss and a wince.

"Not at all," he drawled sarcastically, eyes staring intensely into Hera's orbs. Shaking his head, he placed a hand into his pocket and handed out the familiar hand-woven bracelet that belonged to Alison, "I want you girls to have this. The police returned it to my family. I think you should have it."

"The police, the-the police gave that to you?" Aria stammered, hazel eyes widening in fear.

Jason nodded slowly, brows knitting in confusion, "Alison was wearing it."

" _Wait_. You mean _when_ they found her?" Spencer inquired.

"Yeah. After listening today, I just thought you should have it," Spencer cautiously took the offered bracelet, and Jason smiled, "I'll be in touch."

Once Jason was outside hearing range, Emily leaned forward and hissed, "If _that's_ Alison's bracelet, what about the one we found in the woods?"

"I don't know. Someone made a copy of Alison's bracelet," Aria replied hesitantly.

"Yeah, and made sure that we would find it!" Spencer whispered harshly; the five Liars shook in fear at the recent and disturbing discovery; unnoticed to them, Detective Darren Wilden was close by, watching their reactions with a sharp intrusive gaze.

 **A/N:** **This chapter was the longest I have written for this story. I hope you liked it?! XD**

 **I am soo excited that Jason made his first appearance; YAY JASON! As you already realized from the summary, Jason DiLaurentis is one of the MAIN characters in this story and I am so glad he has finally arrived.**

 **How did you like the whole Jason and Darren inclusion revolving around Hera? Don't you love 'em?! XD**

 **More plot-twists coming ahead. Stay tuned, Dear Readers!**

 **R &R.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Hera Marin – Candice Swanepoel.**

 **Chad Delray – Matt Bomer.**

 **Christy Delray – Phoebe Tonkin.**

 **Chapter 9:** **The Perfect Storm:**

The Liars, bar Emily, were convened around the Island at the Hastings, studying for their SATs that would be taking place the next day despite the raging, tumultuous storm, and memorizing a bunch of ridiculously grueling vocabulary words that Spencer had meticulously jotted down in flashcards like the nerd she was. In all honesty, Hera found the English section of the SATs completely pointless; nobody would use such exaggerated terms in their daily lives and professions.

Groaning out loud, Hera slammed a flashcard on the table and reached out for the nearest energy bar that Spencer sensibly foresaw its usage and offered to the three other Liars, "Exactly _how many_ words do they expect us to learn in _one_ freaking night?!" It was more of a rhetorical question since Spencer barely batted an eyelash in her direction and concentrated her full attention on Aria who had been chivvied into testing her, "Stringent?"

In the blink of an eye, the donnish Liar responded, "Uh, tough. Inflexible."

"Also could be defined as strict, precise and exacting which describes you to a T, Spence," Hera drawled out between bites of the bland energy bar that served absolutely no purpose. Aria tried suppressing her laughter as Spencer half-heartedly glared at the blonde-red Marin twin. Hanna unknowingly, capsulized on her twin's previous thoughts and groaned, "It's not like you're _actually_ gonna use them."

Hera mentally patted Hanna on the back and smugly grinned, "Exactly! It's completely pointless, a bore and such a waste of our precious time!" While the Marin twins loudly bemoaned over the future purpose of having a large repertoire of jargons, Spencer narrowed her gaze on Aria who immediately grabbed the nearest flashcard, "Meretricious?"

"It's not like you go to college and then you start speaking a different language," Hanna continued; Spencer unable to put the Marins on mute, snapped, "It's about _getting into college_. Meretricious. Um… oh, _phony,_ flashy!" the brainiac triumphantly pumped her fist in the air garnering herself three collective eye rolls.

"Pretentious," Hera added nonchalantly, throwing the wrapper in the garbage and grudgingly returning her attention to the neat stacks of towering flashcards. _God, Spencer was such a compulsive neat-freak and such a nerd._

The sound of moaning diverted Hera, Aria and Spencer's attention away from their studying and onto Hanna who had vacated her seat on the island and was currently munching on leftover and practically stale cookies from the counter. Spencer scrunched her nose in disgust while staring at Hanna in disbelief, "Uh, Han, _why_ are you still eating that?"

"Because it's here," Hanna retorted, the 'duh' palpably implied in her tone. Spencer grimaced, her black orbs basically watering with revulsion, "Put it in the garbage!"

Hanna returned to her cookie, her voice slightly muffled as she spoke with her mouth full, "Then I'd have to stand _over_ the garbage and eat it." Trust Hanna to have a witty retort in her sleeves; Hera jumped up from her seat and yanked Hanna towards the garbage before smacking the cookies inside, "Look Han, I know when you're nervous you binge-eat, but that's seriously _not_ healthy. If you're gonna binge-eat, then at least let it be edible."

"Besotted?" Aria's voice permeated the air as a sullen Hanna basically got shoved onto her seat beside a victorious and still grossed out Hera.

"Infatuated, enamored, in love with," Spencer dished out; Aria hummed in agreement and once again, Hera imparted her own lingo of the word with a mocking British lilt, "Hmm, could be defined as smitten." Spencer was beginning to get annoyed with the constant interruptions the Marin twins commenced, and just as she opened her mouth to berate them, Hanna snapped her gaze toward Aria, her blue eyes gleaming with interest, "What did Noel say to you after the memorial?"

Spencer facepalmed before snarling through gritted teeth, "We are taking the SATs in _less than 12 hours_. Can we _focus_?!" Hanna did the motion of zipping her mouth shut and Hera snorted, "Jeez, Spence, trust me, you do _not_ need to know any more big words."

"Uh-huh, you're like a walking encyclopedia," and as an afterthought, Hanna added, "You're already scary enough."

The donnish Liar gaped at Hanna with an offended expression, "I'm not scary…" she whipped her head from Hera to Aria, black orbs widening slightly, "Am I scary?"

"A little," Aria confirmed with a weak smile; Hera and Hanna snorted and in unison, chanted, "Try _a lot_!" managing to offend Spencer more so than before; taking advantage of Spencer's flabbergasted state, Hanna continued her previous inquiry, "Hey, I saw Noel Kahn hug you. And he did not wanna let go."

Regaining her wits, Spencer murmured, "Talk about not wanting to let something go." Hera and Aria smirked at the biting remark while Hanna hissed at her and confronted Aria once again, "Why can't you give him a chance? He's smart, he's cute, his Dad owns like _half_ of Rhode Island, and he's got _great_ lips," she ended with a dreamy smile. Hera grimaced, deciding to add in her two cents as she stared solemnly at a conflicted Aria, "If I were you Aria, I'd keep Noel at bay. Him and Chad are _best friends_ , not a good combination if you ask me."

Hanna bristled slightly at her twin's comment and her face turned red with anger, "What's that supposed to mean? Sean's close with _both_ Noel and Chad, and he's such a sweetheart!"

"Yeah, and he's _like_ , the _Reverend's_ _son_. He doesn't count, Han. He's a saint not a sinner," Hera retorted with an eye roll, prompting Hanna to shrug in silent acceptance before claiming, "But come on, you guys have to admit that Aria and Noel would look _amazing_ together."

Beginning to feel uncomfortable, Aria's almond-shaped eyes beseeched Hanna, "Can we drop it? _Please_? I'm not looking for anything more than a friend." The girls would have a bitch fit if they realized the reason for her hesitance. It's not like Aria could just confide in them over her forbidden feelings for their English teacher, Ezra Fitz. Yes, she used to have a major crush on Noel back in the days before the whole Alison bedlam ensued, but ever since she met Ezra in a bar, she could no longer deny her strong feelings towards him. The only reason they weren't together was because it was illegal.

Hanna, not one to take a hint, opened her mouth filter, " _Why?_ I mean, don't you have enough on Facebook? Besides, don't you want someone real? Someone you can, I don't know, scratch and sniff?"

Spencer gaped at Hanna in a horrified trance while Hera burst into laughter. Aria shook her head in amusement, "A boyfriend isn't a dog, Hanna. You did not just compare Noah to a dog." Feeling pity for Aria's plight, Hera halted in her laughter and relocated the spotlight onto Spencer, hoping that Hanna would drop the Noah Kahn match-making business for now, "What is going on with you and Sexy Alex? Is he back from that tournament?"

It was a miraculous wonder how much one guy could transform Spencer, their fierce and hardcore scholar best friend, into a pile of mush and actually overlook the fact that they should be studying for their SATs. "Yeah. He's back," she stated giddily, "And it's good. Actually… it's _sooo_ good. I want it to last but, but I'm afraid I'm gonna blow it."

"So when can we officially call him the boyfriend?" Hanna smirked suggestively; nothing like boy-gossip to produce a mischievous spark in the orbs of the youngest Marin twin. Before Spencer could deem a response, the door opened and Veronica Hastings materialized in front of them with a few grocery bags in her hand.

"Hi, Mom," Spencer smiled; Aria, Hera and Hanna politely intoned, "Hey, Mrs. Hastings!"

"Hi girls," Veronica stared at them with a fond expression, "Oh, what smells so good?"

Veronica Hastings was referring to the freshly baked garlic bread that Aria, Hera and Spencer made for dinner while Hanna _graciously_ observed them, as a glorious reprieve from forcing their brains into absorbing over five hundred vocabulary words. Hanna pointed at the Tupperware beside the stove, "Garlic bread. Want some? We made extras." Hera, Aria and Spencer pointedly glared at Hanna's innocent mien since she didn't do extras; _they_ _did_ while she lazily commented from behind.

Veronica smiled bitterly, the onyx orbs Spencer inherited gazing forlornly at the Tupperware, "I can't. _God_ , I miss food. Eat some butter for me, will you," she parted them with a grin before disappearing to answer her abundant inbox. Spencer gladly returned to the flashcards while the other three Liars grudgingly mimicked her, and the ambience was completely silent until Veronica returned, her shrewd onyx orbs scrutinizing the girls in confusion, "Where's Emily?"

Not worried in the slightest over their friends odd disappearance, Spencer shrugged, "She's probably on her way over. She told me she'll be coming later on after dinner."

 ***PLL***

Once again, the Liars, bar Emily, congregated at the Hastings House since Veronica was elected to escort the girls to their SATs exam. Upon arriving at High School, thankfully not drenched from the brewing storm due to the ingenious creation of umbrellas, Hera groaned aloud, "I can _not_ believe that they are making us take out SATs right now. The weather outside is atrocious enough and they predicted a major storm still!"

Widely known by the entire Rosewood population of Hera Marin's disrelish of anything unrelated to summer and the warm breeze, Hanna, Spencer and Aria ignored her cantankerous disposition and instead, concentrating on the familiar sexy boy approaching them. Hanna gasped pleasantly and shot a profusely blushing Spencer a pointed glare, "You didn't say Alex was taking the test here too!"

"Why did you think I wanted my Mom to drop us off and leave?" Spencer murmured from the corner of her mouth before directing her full attention on Alex who pulled her flush against his chest; Hera's incessant grumbling under her breath was put on pause as she gaped dumbstruck at the lip-locked couple alongside Hanna and Aria, both of whom were mirroring Hera's current visage.

Hanna fanned herself, "Whew! Can you two feel the heat around here?"

"Damn, I gotta get me some guy," Hera commented with a suggestive smirk, prompting Aria to laugh loudly and link hands with her. Suddenly, with the silence of a ghost, Chad materialized behind them with Noah and Christy in tow. "All you had to do was ask, babe," Chad grinned, his steamy grey orbs lewdly roaming her body. Disregarding the nuisance of her ex, Hera snappishly retorted, "In your dreams!" before embracing a beaming Christy in a suffocating hug, one that the older girl enthusiastically returned, angering Chad further since he despised the close bond Hera had with his older sister.

" _Attention all students. The SATs will be held today,"_ some dude on the PA announced, eliciting a collective groan from the horde of assembled students.

Once Christy finally released Hera from her embrace, she greeted Hanna and Aria since Spencer's lips were still connected with Alex's before turning a heated glare onto her cowering brother and amused Noah. Chad Delray was an obnoxious, arrogant pig who could only be intimidated by his elder sister first and his parents second, and Hera thanked all that was Holy for befriending the daunting Delray; regarding Hera as a little sister made it easy to put a tight leash on the troublesome Delray and Noah if needed.

"Chad! Noah! Off you go, scoot! I don't want to hear you were bothering the girls again. Good luck!" Christy called out after their retreating backs. With a conspiring smirk, Christy gave Hera one last hug, "Well, my shift at the hospital begins soon. Good luck girls!"

"I like her," Hanna mused; just as Christy departed, Veronica ambled in, her eyes locked in on her purse while she mumbled under her breath, "Nobody here can make a decision to save their life. It's absurd." Gotta love silver linings; the second Veronica walked in, Aria elbowed Spencer in the gut, separating the two smitten teens apart and they both shifted uncomfortably once mama Hastings finally lifted her gaze, her onyx orbs widening at Alex in recognition. Spencer pulled Alex closer and introduced them with a nervous smile, "Mom, this is Alex Santiago. Alex, this is my mother," staring meaningfully at her mother, Spencer stressed out, " _Alex_ that I went to homecoming with."

Regaining composure, Veronica forced a smile at Alex, and the four Liars noticed the surmounting tension between them; almost as though Veronica and Alex had a beef with each other. A few nerve-racking minutes later, Alex hastily excused himself from the group, leaving behind a relieved Veronica and a curious Spencer.

Acting as though the past few minutes weren't torture, Veronica casually addressed the girls, "Rosewood students should register in the library, half the school isn't here yet, and may never make it."

"Hey guys!" Emily waved, approaching the group and immediately becoming on the receiving end to a plethora of hugs. "When my mom dropped me off, we saw a huge tree on Saw Mill Road and they've closed off York Street," she informed them matter-of-factly.

The words barely escaped Emily's lips when the familiar voice of Detective Darren Wilden permeated around them from behind, causing the Liars and Veronica to turn around for the latest confrontation. "That wasn't because of a tree. York Street's been closed since last night," Darren's navy blue orbs seemed to burn through Hera before they flickered over to Emily who had become peculiarly silent all of a sudden.

"Why?" Veronica took charge, scrutinizing the Detective with solemn onyx orbs.

Without pausing in his scrutiny toward a meek Emily, Darren replied, his voice oddly detached, "Somebody decided to pay a visit to Alison DiLaurentis' memorial and destroy it. Shattered the tiles, broke the bench."

"What?" Aria snapped; simultaneously Spencer inquired, "When did this happen?" Veronica maintained skin contact with her daughter in hopes of calming her down, while the Marin twins were busy studying Emily's odd behavior, taking in the fact that she didn't seem surprised – something Darren took note of as well. Providing a response to Spencer's snappish inquiry, Darren said, "We had to cordon off the area, it's an investigation, and now our number one priority with Jason breathing down my neck."

Hera's gaze snapped over to Darren, icy orbs widening in shock, "Jason's _still_ here, in-, in Rosewood?" Her bewildered question coupled with the tone in her voice finally had Darren sparing her eye-contact and Hanna recognized the pain in his visage, confusing her further, but before Darren could respond, Veronica barked out, a stern quality reeking of disapproval in her nuance, "Spare them the details. They're about to take their SATs!"

Darren's face morphed into an impassive mask and he gave them a diminutive nod, his navy blues burning into Hera's icy ones, "Right, good luck on the test, ladies."

"I'll meet up with you guys later," Hanna murmured, separating herself from the other four Liars; Spencer linked arms with Hera and Aria, "We should probably go to the library." But Darren's interested gaze lowered to the ground, taking in Emily's sneakers coated completely in mud and he extended an arm out in front of her, "Give me a sec, would you?"

Emily's stance turned rigid and she gave him a stiff nod, gesturing her suspicious friends to leave, "I'll meet up with you in the library."

But Hera's thoughts were in turmoil; Jason never left Rosewood and Darren was still hounding them, and now… now Alison's memorial had been completely trashed by a highly probable perpetrator… 'A'.

 ***PLL***

Pouring over their books, the three Liars were finally joined by a distressed Hanna who wasn't in the mood to share the source of her bad mood. Suddenly, Aria snapped, unable to keep her worries in any longer, "I cannot believe Ali's memorial was trashed! I mean, just when you thought that 'A' would give it a rest, you know…"

Huffing in annoyance, Spencer pushed her flashcards away and massaged her temples, "It's like Toby _had_ to kill Alison all over again."

"Toby?" Hera snapped, "Spence, we've been over this already. There's no way it was Toby. 'A' wanted him out of the way, why would 'A' want him gone if he _wasn't_ innocent?" Spencer shrugged, too stubborn to admit she may be wrong and Hanna, with the subtlety of a stampeding rhinoceros commented, "Besides, his motorcycle was totaled. Isn't he dead?"

Aria grumbled and rested her face on the palm of her hand, "Well, I hear more from Alison now than when she was alive. Anyways, like Hera said, I thought we decided 'A' _wasn't_ Toby. 'A' was happy to have Toby out of the picture." Hera raised her hands in the air, "See! Thank you, someone that has sense! Hallelujah!"

Spencer didn't look impressed in the slightest, her sharp gaze flickering from Hera to Aria and back again, "How do we know that Toby _didn't_ send that text?"

"And why are we suddenly trusting 'A'," Hanna aggressively pointed out, "'A' made a fake bracelet to _mess_ with us." Having had enough with the plethora of guesstimated insinuations, Hera slammed both her hands on the table, producing a loud _bang_ and prompting the other Liars to jump in their seats and stare at her questioningly, "Can we just stop. Just _stop!_ … We're running around in desperate little circles like a psychotic hamster on a wheel! We're getting nowhere you guys, I say we just give up and leave it for the police to figure out!"

Her words engulfed them in a tension-filled silence before one after the other, they all nodded in mute agreement and returned to revising for their SATs. Silence ensued for a couple more minutes before Aria suddenly called out, "Emily! Hey. Where have you been?"

Flipping around to stare at Emily as she took a seat between Hera and Spencer, Hanna's brows knitted together in concern, "Yeah, why weren't you at Spencer's last night?" Flashing the girls a strained smile, Emily blathered, "I know, I'm sorry. I didn't get out of practice till really late, so I went straight home and crashed… So, what did I miss?"

"Well, we studied," Spencer informed her.

Hanna snorted and pointed at Spencer and Aria, " _They_ studied, and _we_ annoyed them," she gestured toward herself and a sheepish Hera, prompting eye rolls from the other two and an amused smile out of Emily, "And as you've already heard, Alison's memorial got trashed."

"What did Wilden want from you?" Hera asked curiously, ignoring the identical pair of eyes belonging to her twin that was burning a hole in the back of her skull. Just as Emily opened her mouth to formulate an excuse, Aria gasped out loud, her hazel orbs locked on two particular people on the other end of the library, "What's my Mom and _Jason_ doing here?"

"Jason?" Hera and Spencer intoned; Hera sounding nervous while Spencer leaned more on the suspicious side.

Ella Montgomery must have noticed the multiple pair of eyes connected to her person, for she gestured Jason to amble alongside her and the two of them approached the five dumbstruck Liars' table, the SATs all but forgotten at the weird predicament. "Mom, what are you doing-, why are you here?" Aria stammered, accepting her mother's embrace.

"Oh, I tried calling you, but your phone must be turned off for the test," Ella smiled, waving at the other girls; "They called and said they needed proctors. I'm on the sub list."

Tilting her head to the side, Aria uncertainly asked, "Since when?"

"Since they cut my hours at the gallery and I'm paying rent to live above it. I filled for an application last Monday," Ella smoothly replied; Spencer and Hera however, were more concerned over Jason's sudden appearance, and just as jade green orbs connected with Hera's icy ones, Spencer spoke up, "Oh, are you a proctor as well Jason?"

Averting his gaze from Hera, Jason smiled at Spencer, "Actually, no I'm not. I decided to prolong my stay in Rosewood since the police in this town are incompetent. I applied for a job and Mr. Tamborelli offered me the position as the school's guidance counselor."

Hera vividly froze in her seat, mouth agape and eyes widening on Jason as his words hit home; the boy she moved on from a childish crush to highly enamored to an obsessive degree would be in Rosewood High… she would constantly be in close proximity to the man of her dreams, a person she's been trying so hard to get over. Hera Marin didn't know whether she wanted to celebrate and do the Cha-Cha, or repeatedly bang her head on the desk till her brain imploded. Instead, Hera flashed Jason a warm smile, "Wow, that's-, uh, congratulations, Jason. I'm sure you'll excel in it."

Jason smirked at her, and Hera felt a foreboding feeling echo in her veins at the hidden meaning behind his reaction, "Thanks, Hera. I'm hoping to help students by showing them that there is life after high school."

"Isn't that great," Ella beamed, "I for one commemorate Jason for what he's doing."

" _Attention all students, please return to the library for your SAT,"_ the same dude announced on the PA. Hera groaned and facepalmed herself, "God I _hate_ that guy. I'm totally not ready! Are you guys ready? 'Cause I certainly am not!" she began hyperventilating, forgetting Ella and Jason's presence in her worried state. Spencer narrowed her eyes on her, "Well, maybe if you didn't waste time lounging about yesterday, then you wouldn't be so nervous."

"Oh, shut up! Nobody likes it when you tell them 'I told you so,' can you just fo-"Hera's ranter was interrupted by the clearing of Ella's throat, and all five Liars remembered they had an audience. Jason bit the inside of his cheek to suppress his laughter while Ella chuckled softly, "Well, that's our cue to leave. Good luck girls. And Hera, I'm sure you'll do well, sweetie, just have faith in yourself."

Hera couldn't help but admire Jason's nicely firmed behind in those tight jeans as he walked away from their table; the thoughts _fuck me_ resounded in her head like an annoying echo as she readied herself for the SATs.

 ***PLL***

It had been an hour since the announcement and it was slowly becoming clear to the Liars that they had a long wait until the SATs test would be distributed. Despite the fact that Hera recently started to freak out about being unprepared, the delay was killing her. Desperately searching for a distraction to calm down her nerves, Hera's gaze connected with the back of Darren who was currently conversing with one of the teachers.

"God, he's freaking me out," Aria whispered to the other girls, receiving two nods of agreement from Spencer and Aria; ever since Hanna discovered the secret dalliance between her twin and the sleazy detective, she had become less outspoken about her aversion to him, and Hera appreciated it. Unlike the other Liars and even Hera herself, Hanna had personally perceived the level of devotion Detective Wilden held for her twin, and it was palpably obvious that – in Hera's words – he was absolutely smitten.

Glaring at his back, Spencer hissed, "Whose locker is he poking into now?"

"He's desperate," Hanna stated matter-of-factly, "Ali's brother is breathing down his neck. I mean, Jason isn't leaving Rosewood anytime soon, not until the killer is caught." Emily shifted nervously and leaned forward conspiratorially in case they were overheard, "Ours too. I mean, what if Jason told the police Alison's version of what happened?"

Hera immediately shook her head in negative, "Em, if Jason was gonna snitch, he would've a year ago."

"Besides, after Hera here gave him a tongue-thrashing and bluntly stated all the facts, he now knows that story's bogus," Spencer grinned, her onyx orbs twinkling gratefully at the smirking Hera who looked satisfied with herself.

A shadow suddenly engulfed their table and five pairs of eyes snapped up to meet Darren's gaze head-on. "Sorry about the memorial. I know how hard you girls worked," Darren commented, "Shocking though. Something like that could happen and nobody saw anything." The accusation was rolling off him in waves which only succeeded in annoying Spencer further, "Everybody here was studying for the exam that we're about to take, so you might wanna look for eyewitnesses somewhere else."

"Unless you're back to blaming us again, _Detective_. It's funny how you always seem to point fingers at us, disregarding the fact that there are nearly 8000 civilians in this town that could have easily done what you constantly accuse us of doing," Hera snapped, her eyes hardening in the perfect replica of a glacier, and Darren found himself missing the days when her eyes were warm, reflecting a pure cloudless sky and staring at him with complete adoration and lust. Spencer, Emily and Aria gaped at the blonde-red Marin twin, stunned beyond belief; Hanna sighed at her twin's nonchalance that would end up revealing her secret; Darren however, brushed off her words and gave them all a flinty stare, "So you were all studying together?"

"Yes," was the collective response; Hanna rolled her eyes in annoyance, "We were all at Spencer's."

Darren raised an unimpressed eyebrow, covertly altering his orbs in the direction of Emily's muddy sneakers, "All of you?"

"Yes. _All of us_ ," Emily brusquely stated, garnering herself suspicious stares from the rest of the Liars. Due to Hera's intimacy with Darren, it was palpably obvious to her that he hadn't bought Emily's alibi and was merely humoring her until she let her guard down before striking; it was classic Darren. Swallowing harshly and fearing for her docile best friend, the second Darren left, she stared solemnly at Emily, "Why did you lie to him, Em? Don't give us some crap about crashing early, what's going on?!"

Evading eye-contact with the four girls, especially Hera's steely gaze, Emily shrugged, "I told you, I went home."

"Then why didn't you _tell him that_?" Hanna retorted, unwilling to let Emily get off that easily, but apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, for Emily glared at her and venomously hissed, "What happened to all of us sticking together?" and with that, she harshly got off her chair and turned her back on them. Spencer called after her, "Where are you going?!"

Glancing at them from over her shoulder, Emily sarcastically shot back, "To the restroom. But if you don't believe me, we can all try and squeeze into one stall."

"Should one of us go talk to her?" a wide-eyed and deeply concerned Aria whispered. Spencer shook her head knowingly, "No. She'll talk when she's ready." At that moment, Spencer's phone rang and she beamed at the Caller I.D. and wasted no time in answering Alex. Hera on the other hand, muttered an excuse to the girl and rushed out of the library. She didn't trust Emily alone with Darren out there; Emily may have lied about her whereabouts, but no matter what, the Liars stuck together, and knowing Darren's technique and firm resolution, Emily wandering off alone was the perfect opportunity to be cornered by him, and Hera was adamant in remaining by her side for moral support; Darren didn't intimidate her in the slightest.

Going by Emily's parting words, Hera immediately ducked into the restroom, "Emily? ... Emily?" Huffing out loud, she opened every single stall before groaning aloud, "Great. She lied to us… _again_!" Biting her lips in thought, she decided to try the locker rooms since Emily spent most of her time there before and after swimming practice; despite the fact that the school was filled to the brim with many students, the empty hallways was extremely eerie, especially when combined with the earth-shattering racket of the abysmal weather outside. Her icy orbs located the entrance to the locker but just as she inched closer, heavy footsteps resonated from behind prompting her body to stiffen and halt mid-way.

 _Please don't let it be 'A', please don't let it be 'A', please don't let it be 'A';_ the mantra echoed in her head and her heart pounded violently against her ribcage. Hera was at a stalemate; should she run for it, or should she apprehend whoever was stalking her? Unfortunately, the decision was already made for her as two strong hands gripped her waist in a bruising hold, her body was swiveled around and her back was forcefully slammed against the marble wall, all in less than five seconds. _Damn that was going to leave a fucking bruise._ Whimpering in pain, Hera was unable to see her attacker as soft lips roughly attacked her neck, sucking and licking and biting and Hera found herself rendered useless as she tried pushing her assailant away.

"Let GO of me! Leave me ALONE! STOP IT!" Hera shrieked; she hated being reduced to a damsel in distress, but all the self-defense lessons she took in California sailed out of the window in her shock and panicked state. And then, Hera's eyes widened in terror when her assailant let out a pleasurable moan, the familiar noise hitting her like a ton of bricks, "CHAD! LET GO OF ME!"

Enraged, Chad disconnected his lips from her neck and slapped her across the face, his gray orbs dilating with lust and murderous rage, "Shut up you little bitch! I swear to god, if your screaming brings attention, then I'll-"

" _You'll_ _what_?"

Chad stiffened, his hands tightening on her waist and despite the agonizing pain and the definite bruising he was leaving her, Hera breathed a sigh of relief at the voice that had always sounded euphoric to her; heavy footsteps approached them and Chad was promptly thrown of off her, banging harshly against the opposite wall.

Jason DiLaurentis really made an imposing figure when angered; his jade green orbs were turning black in fury, and his sharp, prominent features were blazing, and a vein could be seen throbbing on his forehead, his knuckles clenched to the extent of them whitening.

"If I see you within close proximity of Hera, I'll report you Delaney. I'm sure Christy would be ecstatic when I tell her of your deplorable actions. Now, LEAVE!" Jason boomed; Chad instantly scuttled away with his tail between his legs. Nobody was suicidal enough to talk back at, challenge or disobey Jason DiLaurentis who was notorious for packing a punch; it was a well-known fact that a myriad of people who angered Jason were sent to the hospital for days with broken bones, a concussion and once, Jason managed to beat some dude up leaving him in a two-month coma.

Once Chad departed, Jason turned around to face Hera who unconsciously had tears streaming down her face; his jade orbs flickered from her puffy eyes to her tear-stained cheeks and lastly, to the large hickey on her neck. "Hey, hey, you're okay. You're okay," and the next thing she knew, Jason pulled her into a comforting hug, his strong arms wrapped tightly around her allowing her body to shake with harsh sobs. Hera hated herself for appearing weak; she trained herself especially for any scenario with Chad, not wanting a repeat of the past, and yet, here she was, a damsel in distress crying in the arms of the man she was deeply in love with.

Hera couldn't even savor the fact that Jason rescued her, stood up for her and initiated skin contact with her. She was too ashamed and enraged and in the throes of self-hatred. Slowly, Jason softly pushed her backwards and stared solemnly into her eyes, "Hera. Be honest with me. Has this happened before now? Did Chad ever force himself on you?"

"No," Hera smoothly lied, and it took all of her power to maintain eye-contact while keeping her façade in place, "Chad's just-, he's just bitter over our breakup and in denial. It's nothing, just forget it ever happened."

Jason stared at her incredulously, "Forget it? Damn it, Hera. This isn't a joke, he was _hurting you_!"

"I KNOW!" she screamed eliciting a silence around them as she inhaled and exhaled aggressively. "I know," Hera said in a softer tone, "Just please, don't-, don't tell anyone. Promise me that you'll keep what you saw between us. … _Please_."

"Hera?" Hera closed her eyes at the sound of Hanna and quickly swiped the tears from her face before disentangling herself from Jason's heavenly embrace. Not only was Hanna approaching them, but the rest of the Liars, and bringing up the rear was none other than Darren Wilden, his navy blue eyes burning with envy at the sight of Jason in close contact with Hera, but upon noticing her bedraggled state and swollen eyes, his expression softened immediately, only to be replaced with concern and confusion.

Hanna immediately placed an arm around her twin, "Her, you're crying, what's wrong?"

"Yeah, Jason. What's wrong?" Darren sneered, effectively snapping everybody's gaze onto him. Jason didn't pay attention to the intruders, but stared intensely at Hera who adopted a pleading look, her eyes imploring him not to squeal; sighing loudly, Jason dragged a hand through his honey-blonde locks, and shooting one last glance of disapproval toward Hera, said, "Nothing. I walked in on Hera distressed over Ali's memorial. Speaking of which," he snapped a burning gaze toward Darren who looked like he didn't believe a word, "Did you catch the person who vandalized the memorial or are you just here to watch the students take their SATs?"

Darren sneered at the quip, "Actually I have Jason. In fact, it's a good thing we can all be here for an update."

"We're supposed to be in the locker room," Emily snapped; Daren smirked condescendingly at her, "I'm guessing you are used to being in places you're not supposed to be," he suddenly snapped at Emily with a meaningful gaze leaving no room for swindling her way out, "Tell your friends where you were last night. When you _weren't_ studying for the test." At Emily and the rest of the Liars shocked expression, Darren's lips curled into a smile of smug satisfaction, "See, because I got these really interesting photos. Pass it around, there's plenty more where that came from. At the precinct."

Hera, Hanna, Aria and Spencer gasped aloud the picture; Emily looked like a wreck, crying over Alison's vandalized memorial, her hands digging into the soil. Jason looked as impassive as ever as he stared at tears cascading down Emily's face and the despondent slouch of her shoulders. "I doubt Emily would destroy the memorial, Darren. You got any other leads?" Jason snapped, prompting the five Liars to stare at him in appreciation and for Darren to clench his jaw in anger.

Darren pointed an accusing finger at Emily's muddy shoes in retort, "I see you didn't get a chance to clean your shoes either, so the pictures aren't photo-shopped."

 _But they were definitely a gift from 'A'_ , simultaneously reverberated in each Liar's head.

"That's _not_ why I went there," Emily said softly. Darren arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms against his chest, "Really? So you didn't go back to finish up Toby's handiwork? Or were you covering up his tracks?"

"I _found_ it like that. It was _already_ destroyed," Emily snapped with conviction.

Disbelief flickered on Darren's mien, "Really? Well then, let me ask you a question. What were these doing in your bag? Souvenirs?" in his hands were the figurines from the statue displayed in the memorial, "Something Toby asked you to save for his trophy collection?"

"This has _nothing_ to do with Toby," Emily stated. Hera glared at him, "Do you even have a warrant to go through Emily's belongings?" Darren ignored her, maintaining his stony gaze on Emily, who was currently being questioned by Spencer, "Em, why do you have those?"

Hanna shook her head in denial, her eyes wide, "No, you put those in there, you creep. Emily would never do that, the memorial was _her_ idea!" But even as she said it, Hanna knew that Darren Wilden wouldn't do that, no matter how sleazy he made himself out to be, he would never hurt Hera that way by setting one of her best friends up for murder or vandalism, and by the look on Darren's face, he knew that Hanna was throwing accusations left and right in desperation.

"Yeah, so I heard. Nice cover," Darren scoffed. Meticulously, he pulled out a worn-out letter from his front pocket and waved it in front of a frantic Emily, "You want me to share this with them? Or would you like to? Go ahead-" he carried on smoothly when Emily became tongue-tied, "-and tell about the angry letter that you wrote to Alison. Which is dated, by the way, _three days before she disappeared_."

"You had no right to read that," Emily whispered, her mournful chocolate brown orbs never once leaving the letter she familiarized herself with by reading it over a hundred times. Aria rubbed Emily's back softly and in an equally soft voice, asked, "Emily, what is in the letter?"

"Tell her," Darren pressed on, "Tell them how you wanted to punish Alison for rejecting you. Tell them how you felt _relieved_ at the funeral. Yeah, she wasn't gonna be around to humiliate you anymore, was she?" and a part of Darren knew that he was blowing off some steam at Emily due to finding Hera and Jason cozying up to each other; a part of him admitted that he didn't believe Emily to be Alison DiLaurentis' murderer in the slightest. But he was on a role, and found himself unable to stop talking.

Glaring up at the Detective, oblivious to the battle waging inside of him, Emily confessed, "I went back to that memorial to say I was _sorry_. There were horrible things in that letter, and I _didn't_ mean them," the last words were meant for Jason who hadn't been able to utter a word in his stumped state, "But suddenly she was gone and I loved her as more than a friend. I just never had the chance to tell her in the right way."

Jason nodded diminutively at Emily and offered her a small smile before he heatedly addressed Darren, "Giver her the letter back, Wilden. Give it to her now or I swear to God I will rip your head off, and don't think your title as Detective would stop me. You know I'm not one for making empty threats!"

Darren sneered, but he looked shaken; Jason DiLaurentis really wasn't one to mess around with. "Sorry, I can't. We're not leaving until _you_ tell me what you were doing carting around pieces of Alison's memorial. This is police business DiLaurentis, nothing personal."

"They were the only things not broken," Emily met Darren's gaze head-on, portraying genuine honesty in her mien and finally, Darren backed off and retuned the letter to a relieved Emily who immediately tucked it into her pocket reverently.

"What's going on in here? Why aren't they with the other kids? Hera, sweetie, Emily, wha-, why are your faces all red and blotchy, have you been crying?" Veronica Hastings may be a hardcore lawyer and anything but a stay-at-home mother, but she was a Hastings and a kickass, astute person with a caring and fond disposition to the Liars, bar Alison – for some inexplicable reason.

Darren scowled at Veronica in a mixture of annoyance and confusion, "Who are you?"

Her response was to place a protective hand on Spencer's shoulder, "Her mother. If this is the school's idea of keeping my child safe, I'm glad I came. Honey, why are they crying?" she asked Spencer, referring to Hera and Emily. Spencer glared at Darren, "I don't know about Hera but he accused Emily of killing Alison."

"He went through her purse and now he's accusing her," Aria added with venom in her voice.

Veronica raised an inquisitive eyebrow at an unperturbed Darren, "You know, you're lucky Jason happened to be here, otherwise I'd be able to get you kicked off the case for questioning minors without an adult. What century are you in? I would advise you to back off. Anything they've said to you is inadmissible in a courtroom. Period. Let's go Hera, Emily, honey, grab your things," she addressed the girls without taking her sharp gaze off of Daren's impassive one.

"I have a homicide to solve, okay?" Darren informed her.

"Well, if you want to remain in charge of this investigation, I'd advise you to have more than one adult present when you're questioning my girls, that is, unless you want to face me down with opposing counsel," Veronica warned him; Veronica Hastings words should never be taken lightly … _ever!_ Turning to face Jason, she smiled, "Thank you for being present, Jason."

Once the Liars left with Veronica, Jason let out a loud whistle, "You know, I really hope you learned your lesson, because I sure as hell wasn't supposed to be here and you could have easily got into major trouble for interrogating the girls without an adult present."

Darren sneered in response, "Yeah well. I am one hell of a lucky guy, got first row seats watching you cozy up with a minor."

Jason lifted his brows in bemusement, his jade green orbs scrutinizing one of his oldest friend that he lost contact with throughout his drug phase. Shaking his head, Jason tucked his hands into his front pockets and just as he turned around to leave, he imparted with a smirk, "If I didn't know better myself, I'd say you're jealous, Wilden."

 ***PLL***

"Can I have you attention," the Principle announced to the congregated and highly nervous students, "The storm warning has just been lifted, but the SATs will have to be rescheduled."

Tumultuous cheering engulfed the room in response, and Hera groaned into the table, "Ugh, all this studying for no reason! _I hate school_!"

Saying a quick goodbye to Aria, Spencer and Emily, Hera began searching for Hanna before finally locating her by the lockers in the middle of some captivating conversation with Lucas, previously dubbed Hermy by Alison. "Hey, Han. Let's go!"

"Okay. Bye Lucas," Hanna beamed at the nervous geek and linked arms with Hera pulling her away, "God, I hate school. The sooner we're out of here, the better." When Hera didn't respond with her usual witticism, Hanna nudged her, "You okay?"

Tearing her eyes away from a fidgety Lucas, Hera absently nodded, "I'm fine. Let's get out of this joint." Swallowing the lump from her throat, Hera threw back one last suspicious gaze at Lucas' feet before sparing her twin her utmost attention.

 _Why the hell would Lucas' converse be all muddy … muddy like Emily's were?_

 **A/N:** **Did you like this chapter?! XD**

 **Yay for Jason! I totally adore him!**

 **As you can see there were many changes; for one, Jason is staying in town; Darren didn't get kicked off the case … I told you I'm shaking things up! XD**

 **Next chapter I'll try and have some flashbacks included… maybe two even! XD**

 **R &R.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Hera Marin – Candice Swanepoel.**

 **Chad Delray – Matt Bomer.**

 **Christy Delray – Phoebe Tonkin.**

 **Chapter 10:** **Keep Your Friends Close:**

The entire ride to Rosewood High was filled with complete silence, which was an oddity in itself since Hanna was famous for her talkative streak. Parking her red convertible, Hera whipped around to scrutinize her twin in a mixture of confusion and concern, who was partaking in an intense stare down with the visor, a frown molding her forehead. Unable to tolerate the eerie silence a second longer, Hera cleared her throat, "Han, you've been unusually quiet. What's wrong?"

Broken from her trance, Hanna snapped over to better gauge her twin's reaction, and in a deadly serious voice, uttered, "I need to ask you something, and I need you to be _totally_ honest with me."

Now vehemently concerned, Hera gave her twin her complete attention and nodded solemnly, "Of course, what is it?" The following woes of her twin had her gaping in disbelief. Gesturing both profiles of her face, Hanna asked, "Is _this_ side of my face fatter than _this_ side?"

Clamping her mouth shut and biting her tongue, Hera scowled but didn't bother mocking or chastising her twin; Hera knew that despite the fact that Hanna now had a rocking body, deep inside, she was still the insecure girl that Alison continuously called 'Hefty Hanna', irregardless of the confident front she flaunted to the denizens of Rosewood. Inclining with her head to get out of the car, Hera linked arms with her other half and grinned, "No. You, Hanna Marin, look _gorgeous_ and your face has zero fats. Don't obsess over something that isn't there," she winked, prompting a sigh of relief and a beaming smile from her twin.

"Hey, you two!" Spencer called out with a smile as she waved over the Marins toward her locker where Emily and Aria were congregated at. Joining the other Liars, the five girls instigated inane conversation for a while until they were suddenly interrupted by a loud gasp from Aria, whose almond-shaped hazel eyes were zeroed in on a particular somebody standing a great distance to their left, "Is that _Ian_?"

Immediately, four pairs of eyes pivoted to join the wide hazel ones of their artsy friend, locked onto the handsome, tall and muscularly lean man with light brown hair, angular features, prominent cheekbones and intense cerulean eyes who stood by Jason DiLaurentis, both men enthralled in a friendly banter; Hera felt her heart clench due to the fact that it was Jason's first day at Rosewood High were he had been hired to be the Guidance Counselor. After Jason caught Chad harassing her on the night of the failed SATs that coincided with the raging storm, Hera had avoided running into him around town and she completely blanked in regards to his new profession.

"Yeah," Spencer grumbled in annoyance, abruptly snapping Hera from the battle waging inside her head, "I hear he's the new field hockey coach."

Four pairs of eyebrows simultaneously rose at Spencer's declaration; Emily frowned, her soft brown orbs never leaving Ian's form as she addressed their donnish friend, "Does Melissa know he's back?" Spencer merely shrugged in response and Hanna scoffed, her sapphire orbs appreciatively roaming Ian's attractive form, "Don't know _why_ she broke up with him."

"Uh-huh, I'm with Hanna on that. Ian Thomas is one hot piece of ass," Hera smirked, and as though he heard her comment, Ian's cerulean orbs glowed in her direction, instantly followed by a pair of captivating jade eyes. Spencer's onyx orbs narrowed in on the smug smirk currently etched on Ian's features and snapped, " _She_ didn't. _He_ broke up with _her_."

Before any of the Liars could articulate a response to Spencer's sudden confession, Mona approached them with a perky smile plastered on her heavily painted face, and a bundle of envelopes, each strapped in a lewd yellow ribbon, clasped firmly in her hand. Sidling up next to Hanna, Mona presented one envelope to her, "Hey. The first one's for my bestie-"she then concentrated on each Liar as she donated an envelope to each of them, "-and one for each of you, my bestie's other friends, and… sister," she forced a smile at Hera, the last Liar to receive the horrid jaundice decorative invitation.

Recalling the grudging promise she made to Hanna to try accepting Mona, Hera plastered on a convincing smile and kindly asked her, "Oh, what's this, Mona?"

For a moment, Mona's obsidian orbs dilated in surprise, taken aback by Hera's benign tone before she coquettishly smiled at the five girls and she arrogantly replied, "Oh, nothing. Only an invitation to _the_ _most awesome_ _birthday party_ _ever_ ; Camp Mona," reveling in the attention solely fixated on her and mistaking Hera, Spencer, Aria and Emily's expression of disbelief for intrigue, Mona elaborated, "MONA; don't let the camping part scare you. It's ' _glam_ ping' _not_ camping. M is for Mona and massages, _not_ mosquitoes," here she shivered in revulsion for dramatic effect and before the Liars, excluding Hanna, could come up with a coherent retort, Mona straightened up and perkily called out to a brunette and a blonde passing the hallway, "Oh, Naomi, Riley, _hey,_ wait up!"

The Liars watched Mona's retreating back in a collective dumbstruck silence, and Aria hesitantly addressed Hanna, " _Why_ is Mona inviting _us_ to her birthday party?"

Hera nodded in complete agreement, finally tearing her gaze from the lurid invite in her hand, "Yeah. I mean, no offense, Han, but Mona isn't exactly my biggest fan."

Hanna glared at her twin, not bothering to deem her with a response and choosing to answer Aria's inquiry, "She knows we're friends again and she's just trying to reach out to you. She's trying to be nice," she added indignantly when none of the Liars commented. Huffing, Hanna asked, "So, are you gonna go?"

"I know she's your friend, but…" Spencer trailed off, subtly glimpsing at the other three to help come up with a convincing excuse. Emily nodded, fumbling awkwardly, "Yeah, but I'm gonna have to pass."

"I got this-, I have a lot of stuff to do this weekend," Aria vaguely embellished; Hanna then lifted a cynical eyebrow at Hera who cleared her throat and stammered, "Me too. _Major_ weekend plans. Can't miss 'em."

Hanna scoffed, crossing her arms against her chest, not amused in the slightest that her three best friends and her twin sister weren't even _trying_ to come up with a plausible excuse as they lied to her face, but just as she parted her plump lips to counter their lame excuse, their cellphones chimed in unison. Each Liar sported trembling hands and stricken expressions as they clicked open their newly received text.

Aria's lips quivered, "Camp Mona's a scavenger hunt and I'm the prize-"

"-Come and find me, bitches," Hera angrily continued, and the five Liars simultaneously uttered, "A."

Banging her head lightly against the locker, Spencer grimly said, "Well, I guess we'll be attending after all."

"Yay," Hera sarcastically muttered, not sounding pleased in the slightest, a disposition shared by the other four, especially Hanna who had actually been looking forward to a weekend of fun and relaxation with her best friend in celebration for her birthday.

* * *

Ever since Jason bore witness to Christy Delaney's little brother threatening Hera Marin, his thoughts had been going into overdrive. Jason would be the first to admit that before Alison was declared missing, his life was merely a haze of drunken nights and a string of delirious stupors, and most of his memories were foggy, words blurred together and images meshed up, all wrapped up in one tight package full of parties in his backyard, Ian's place, or Eric Kahn's.

"Yo, buddy? Jase? You okay, man?" Jason shook his head, knocking himself from his jumbled thoughts to stare into the concerned cerulean orbs of his best friend, Ian. Chuckling nonchalantly, Jason waved a hand dismissively, "Yeah, I'm good, Ian. Just got a lot of thoughts in my head, you know what I mean…"

Ian grimaced in return; turning away from Jason, his eyes met the sapphire orbs of Hera Marin and a smirk appeared on his features at the sight of Alison's five best friends huddled together, "Nothing changes, huh. It's almost as if Alison's still here." Jason's brows knitted together in confusion, but upon noticing the reason for his friend's statement, he chuckled dryly in agreement. Hera, Hanna, Aria, Spencer and Emily were conversing in hushed tones, heads inclined in a conspiring manner, just like when Ali was alive.

"Secrets behind closed doors," Jason stated, prompting an amused smirk out of Ian. Just because they partook in alcohol, drugs, and sex, it didn't mean Jason and Ian were blind toward the younger girls' actions. Almost always, the five girls and Alison could be found, and seen, huddled up conspiratorially, sharing secrets with each other and giggling behind closed doors… secrets that never bode well for anybody, especially when it came to the manipulative Alison DiLaurentis.

Jade orbs suddenly narrowed in on Chad Delaney; Christy's little brother stood a few meters away from the girls next to Eric's younger brother, Noah Kahn, but what beckoned Jason's attention, was the tumultuous rage brewing behind those stormy gray orbs that hadn't yet to detach from Hera Marin's back, and Jason hoped, for Chad's sake, that the rash boy took his warning to heart.

 _Flashback:_

" _Yo, Jase man, drink up!" Ian Thomas grinned, his voice slurring due to the abundant consumption of alcohol. Jason's bleary eyes managed to focus in on the bottle of Jack in his best friend's hand and grab it before chugging the rich liquid._

 _Darren Wilden burst out into laughter, one hand snaking up his girlfriend's thigh and settling under her skirt, "Never one to refuse alcohol, eh DiLaurentis. C'mon pass the bottle. My baby here is thirsty. Aren't you thirsty Chris babe?" Christy Delaney stroked his abs, stormy gray eyes dilating with lust and disregarding their audience, she softly gripped his crotch, prompting Darren's navy blues to darken and to smash his lips against hers._

" _Wilden and Delaney are out," Garrett Reynolds crowed, smirking at Melissa Hastings who rolled her eyes and sidled closer to Ian until she was perched on his lap, tanned arms circling his neck. Grinning at her best friend, Melissa called out, "Hey, Chris, Darren, go get a room, would ya!"_

 _The jeering surmounted, meshed with drunken laughter and Darren pulled Christy onto her feet, parted Jason, Ian, Eric and Garrett with a lewd wink before the couple disappeared into Delaney Manor to crank things up a notch._

" _At least the idiot had some sense," Eric smirked at their retreating backs, "I'm not really a fan of voyeurism." Eric Kahn's comment had the laughter and jeering surmount and Jason reached out for his stash of marijuana after much coaxing from Bridgette Lawson, whose flavor of the week seemed to be Jason DiLaurentis._

 _The group were lounging about having a private party at the DiLaurentis' backyard especially since Alison and the Powerpuff Girls were having a sleepover at the Hastings' barn, therefore they didn't have to worry about six thirteen-year-old girls killing their buzz._

 _Two hours after Darren and Christy disappeared into Delaney Manor, and the group was completely wasted; Eric was messing around with Juliette Lawson, Bridgette's twin, in the backyard, Ian and Melissa dispersed from the group and snuck into the Hastings House for some privacy, Garret checked in for the night and departed and Jason was enjoying Bridgette lavish him with oral attention behind his house. Smacking her lips together, the flirtatious blonde buckled his pants and seductively licked her lips from any remnants of his release before jumping to her feet, her warm breath sensually caressing his ears, and her words heavily slurred, "I'm gonna be waiting in your room… naked under the sheets. And you, Jason DiLaurentis, you are going to get me some weed and meet me there, hmm." And with one last searing kiss, she dropped her thong on the ground next to his feet and skipped away, making sure he got a good view of her bare ass that her micro-skirt barely managed to cover._

 _Kneeling down, Jason smirked smugly to himself as he grabbed her thong and bunched it in his fist. He had a high from the alcohol, drugs, his release and now, the thought of a naked Bridgette tantalized him, but just as he headed to the backyard to grab some of his stash, he heard yelling from behind him where the Delaney and Hastings house connected._

 _In his stupor, Jason could barely make sense of the two figures' words, but he was positive that the boy was Christy's baby bro, and the skinny blonde was one of Ali's friends. Blinking away the haze, Jason squinted, trying to clear the image, but then, he shook his head and turned away; he was no voyeur, and he'd prefer fucking Bridgette senseless, than watching two thirteen-year-olds fumble around in the dark._

 _With thoughts of Bridgette's naked form and the anticipation of their sexual activities, the painful cries and screams of the girl, and the sound of flesh hitting flesh was mistaken by Jason to be throes of passion._

Jason's eyes widened significantly, the sound of the bell awakening him from his reverie. Ian adopted a concerned expression again, "Hey, Jase, are you sure you're alright? You look kind of pale."

Slapping a hand on his shoulder, Jason forced a smile, "Don't worry about me. Don't you have a class to prepare for, Coach?" Returning to his office, Jason slumped in the chair behind is desk and frowned, trying to make sense of the blurry images he observed before joining Bridgette in his room, but to no avail. One thing however, was glaringly clear; Chad and Hera were definitely not sneaking around for an intimate session on that specific night.

* * *

Hera groaned upon hearing Mona's screechy nuance resonating from downstairs that interrupted the peaceful ambience in her room. After returning from school, Hera immediately began a three-way video chat with her closest friends from California, Amanda and Hilary – that was, _until_ , Mona's unpleasant arrival. It may sound bitchy, and completely judgmental of her, but Hera honest to god, enjoyed Mona's rare company back then when she was still a nerd that wore frumpy clothes and ginormous glasses. It was as if Alison's disappearance brought out the bad side in Mona.

"Ugh, Amy, Hil, I'm gonna sign out now. I'll chat you up in an hour or two, 'kay." Trading cheerful farewells, Hera logged off and stealthily snuck out of her room and leaned against the bannister to listen in to the confrontation between Hanna and Mona. Apparently, Mona wanted Hanna to ditch school on her birthday, and traipse over town to shop at designer stores before lunch at Rive Gauche. Hera felt pity for her twin, who, by the looks of things, really wanted to go, but unfortunately couldn't due to their sudden financial problems.

Tired with Hanna's evasiveness, Mona's snappish retort pervaded the air, "Hanna, do you wanna be my friend or not? Because lately, I'm feeling like you're _everybody's_ friend, but mine! You're either with Sean, or Hera, or the others. This is _our_ special day and if you screw it up, I'm not turning the other cheek. If you disappoint me, I'm going rogue." Hera scowled, not liking the ultimatum Hanna's supposed best friend was giving her. As Hanna's 'best friend', Mona should be more understanding and compassionate to her plights.

"You _know_ I'm your friend and I _totally_ wanna celebrate with you. It's just… I don't know, things've just been a little tight around here," Hanna explained, "You know, ever since my dad left, it really hasn't been that easy to-"

"Hanna," Hera frowned upon hearing their mom walk in, "I completely forgot I am gonna be working late tonight. So, this should cover dinner. Right?" Peeking over the bannister, Hera frowned at the 100$ bill her mom was basically forcing on Hanna.

Sighing, Hera returned to her room, burying herself under the duvet. She _tried_ to get her mother to accept money from her, but Ashley Marin was stubborn, and wouldn't allow Hera to foot in for the bills, claiming that it was her hard earned cash. If only her mom knew that Hera never worked a day in her life and could easily support their financial problems due to her benevolent benefactor down in California. Unfortunately, _he_ was one secret she didn't want to reveal, especially with 'A' creeping around.

No. Hera Marin's secrets from California had to remain in the dark. _Nobody_ could _ever_ discover what went down in California… _ever_.

* * *

Spencer quickly gulped down her coffee, not wanting to be late for school when Melissa ambled into the kitchen with a cheerful good morning, prompting a confused frown to etch itself onto Spencer's forehead. Crossing her arms against her chest, Spencer curiously inquired, "Why are you being nice to me?"

"Why didn't you tell me Ian was back?" Melissa shot back, a tinge of hostility in her tone. Spencer imperceptibly stiffened, not wanting to discuss Ian Thomas _at all_. She merely shrugged, "Because normal for us is not speaking," she reminded her, her onyx orbs traveling from Melissa to the window since Spencer and Hera were carpooling to school. In a would-be casual voice, Melissa said, "He told me he saw you at Alison's memorial."

"Well, we didn't talk," Spencer pointed out, her face adopting a suspicious expression; there must be a reason why Melissa's fishing for information.

Melissa studied her younger sister's mien, identifying the genuine honesty in her tone, "He asked me out for coffee." Spencer cocked her head to the side, wondering _why_ Melissa was in a sharing mood all of a sudden, "That's good, _right_?" But Melissa scoffed in return, aggressively rolling her eyes as she turned to leave, "Ian broke my heart, Spencer, and I'm still getting over _Wren_. So I said no," the accusation was palpable in her tone, prompting Spencer to wince and weakly retort, "I'm really sorry about Wren, Melissa. I _really_ am."

But her apology went through deaf ears as Melissa stalked out of the kitchen with a scoff and headed toward the barn.

 _Flashback:_

 _Spencer was practicing her field hockey swing on the front lawn and her giggles permeated the air as Ian approached her from behind, his strong arms cocooning her as he reached out for the hockey stick in her hand, "Okay, like this. Okay? Right there."_

 _Shrewd onyx orbs mimicked Ian and she successfully swung the stick correctly, but the donnish girl was too intelligent and her suspicions of Ian's pretense came to light when he suddenly snaked his arms around her waist and leaned in to kiss her neck. Surprised, but turned on, Spencer whipped around to face him, a shy smile curling on her lips and just as her tongue licked her lips, cerulean orbs darkened with lust and he captured their lips together, his tongue parting them and probing inside._

 _Out of breath, Spencer disconnected their lips, breathing heavily and her face flushed when Ian parted her with a suggestive wink and walked away, her eyes unable to detach themselves from his tight, nicely shaped ass. Swooning, Spencer's finger ghosted her lips when suddenly the acidic voice of Alison interrupted her from her daze._

" _Okay,_ _ **gross**_ _!"_

 _Spencer whipped around, eyes widened in fright at being caught making out with her sister's boyfriend, "What did you see?!" she demanded, trying to keep the fear from her tone, and abysmally failing. Stalking towards her with blazing eyes, Alison sneered, "Enough to make me wanna puke. He's your_ _ **sister's boyfriend**_ _and he's like,_ _ **old**_ _."_

" _Well, it was nothing," Spencer defensively retorted, "Just forget it,_ _ **okay**_ _?"_

 _Scrutinizing her friend's dilated eyes and flushed face, Alison nonchalantly commented, "It looked like you were into it."_

" _Well_ _ **I wasn't**_ _!" Spencer snapped, turning away from her friend, unable to look her in the face and terrified that Alison would identify her lie. But Alison wasn't one to give up so easily, and she didn't mind sounding like a hypocrite, "I hope not. Because if you were,_ _ **that would make you a skank**_ _."_

The car honk snapped Spencer from her reverie and she hastened to clamber into Hera's red convertible, flashing the blonde-red Marin a smile. The two girls didn't bother to fill in the silence with inane chattering, both of them reveling in the comfortable silence until they strode into Rosewood High for classes.

Unfortunately, a peaceful day wasn't in the cards for the Liars; before they could join the rest of the students in the cafeteria for lunch, the PA announced in a monotone, " _Spencer Hastings, Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields, Hanna Marin, and Hera Marin. Please come to the office._ "

Trudging over the same path for the bajillionth time, Hera grumbled, "What do you think they want _this time_?" Emily shrugged, but she too looked worried and their annoyance only increased when Detective Darren Wilden ambled inside with a smirk on his handsome face and a professionally dressed African-American woman who looked to be in her mid to late thirties, accompanying him.

"Girls, sorry to keep you waiting," Darren's eyes focused on Hera a while longer before gesturing a hand to the woman, "This is Agent Cooper, she will be assisting me on Alison DiLaurentis' case for the time being."

Agent Cooper tentatively smiled at them, "As Detective Wilden said. I am Agent Cooper, and I am here because the Bureau was asked by local authorities to assist in the investigation of Alison DiLaurentis' murder." The five Liars traded baffled looks, surprised with the astonishing change in event, and knowing that the only reason aid would be needed from the FBI was if the case was becoming more serious.

Darren cleared his throat, remaining a professional demeanor with Cooper's presence as he lifted a tape, "I wanna show you girls something sent to the Rosewood Police Department by an anonymous source," he then instigated eye-contact with Spencer, "Family's given me permission to show it to the five of you."

Taken aback with the _complete_ change in the creepy Detective's attitude, the Liars concentrated on the footage that was currently being played for them, each of them inhaling a sharp intake of breath as they observed Alison sitting by the kissing rock with a flirtatious smile on her vibrant face.

" _Wanna see more? I know you want to_ ," Alison was saying, and the sound of her honeyed voice had tears clouding their vision, not having heard it in over a year. Suddenly, Alison threw her head backward and she crowed out, " _If the girls_ _ **knew**_ _I was seeing you… oh my God, they would_ _ **not**_ _stop talking about it! I wish they were more mature, well… Hera is, more than the others, she's like-, uh, well Hera's like me, most of all-"_

Hera squirmed uncomfortably in her seat as the attention swiveled over to her form, trying to gauge her reaction and she forced herself to maintain eye-contact solely with the footage, not wanting to meet the navy blue orbs of Darren since Alison was subtly referring to her continuous dalliance with him. Hera could practically hear Spencer, Emily and Aria's mind whizzing with plans on cornering her to demand answers concerning the current anomaly.

" _-anyways… we don't have a lot of time,"_ Alison pouted, " _I have to get back before they wake up."_ The camera zoomed in to her figure, a telltale sign that whoever was recording Alison was approaching her, and the blonde beauty smiled seductively, her voice purring in a tantalizing demeanor, " _I know you wanna kiss me._ "

The footage froze in its place, and Darren ejected the tape, eyes narrowing in on the five dumbfounded girls, "Is there _anything_ you can tell us about what you see?"

Spencer cleared her throat, finding it easier to cooperate with the interrogation now that Wilden adopted a surprisingly mild manner of speech, "They're at the kissing rock. It's in the woods behind the lake." Agent Cooper nodded, a gentle smile on her stern visage before she fixed Hera with an inquisitive stare, "What was Alison implying in regards to the comment made about you?"

From the peripheral of her vision, Hera noticed both Darren and Hanna stiffen, but she played it off with a shrug, and morphed her face into one of palpable confusion, "No comment, Agent Cooper. Ali loved speaking in riddles. It was no secret that I was her favorite." Unfortunately, Cooper didn't look pleased with her retort, but thankfully, Hanna swooped in, saving her ass, "I think this was taken the night that Alison disappeared. She was wearing that yellow top, _but_ that's _not_ her sweater," she confidently informed them

"Are you sure?" Darren inquired, inwardly relieved that Hanna covered for them. Hera snorted into the palm of her hand, eyes twinkling at the Detective and the Agent, "Ask Hanna what's in each one of our closets and she'll give you an itemized list. Fashion is Hanna's forte."

Spencer piped up, adding in her two cents, "I think she's talking to the older boy."

"So-called 'mystery boyfriend'?" Cooper curiously questioned; Spencer nodded her head, a frown appearing on her forehead, "Alison didn't want us to know who he was. She only told me enough to make it a secret."

"Ah. Alison liked secrets?" of course, Darren already knew that part of Alison's personality, but for the sake of the interrogation, it must be asked. Emily nodded glumly, "She thought sharing secrets made us close."

Agent Cooper smoothed her jacket, mahogany orbs piercing each Liar, "They do. But secrets are made to be found out with time." Her words only managed to disturb the Liars even more; each one of them had secrets that shouldn't ever be revealed … unfortunately, 'A' thought differently, and the footage was without a doubt sent to the Rosewood Police Department by 'A' for reasons unknown.

Once given permission to leave, Hera didn't fail to notice Darren's gaze burning a hole into the back of her head, no doubt wanting her to remain behind; Hanna looped their arms together and dragged her outside and far away from the three other Liars before they could gang up on her regarding Alison's peculiar statement. Exhaling sharply from her nose, Hera groaned, "Even from beyond the grave, Alison _still_ manages to fuck my life up." Too entranced in the current conundrum, the Marin twins never noticed Jason and Ian standing close by, obviously overhearing Hera's strange statement.

* * *

The Liars were all congregated at the Hastings after school, trying and failing to cheer Hanna up after Mona 'dumped' her as a friend and publicly dissed her due to an fabricated text sent by 'A' to Mona, spreading the rumor that Hanna got liposuction to lose weight. In conclusion, Hanna got dis-invited to Mona's birthday party and Hanna was going through major depression at losing her best friend, while seething at the falsified rumor 'A' spread about her to the entire population of Rosewood High.

"I didn't think 'A' would go as far as to make up rumors, now. Kinda losing its touch," Hera spat out, enraged over the public humiliation her twin was going through. At that moment, the five Liars witnessed Ian leave with a morose expression on his face. Spencer had a look of consternation on her mien before she approached Melissa, "Hey, wait. Maybe you should give him a chance."

Melissa glared at Spencer in suspicion, "And you're suddenly looking out for me _because_ …?"

"I don't know when this war between us got started, Melissa," Spencer huffed out in exasperation, "But can't it just be over?" she pleaded. Noticing Melissa seemed to be on the verge of breaking, she added, "I'm only 16 and I'm _tired_."

Melissa crossed her arms against her chest and looked away to watch Ian's retreating back as he neared the driveway, "Is this you trying to fix what you broke with Wren?" But Spencer adamantly shook her head, knowing that there was no fixing her major screw up with Wren, "No. I'm just trying to do the right thing. …Coffee, Melissa. _That's it._ "

As the Liars watched Melissa run after Ian, Aria arched her eyebrows and addressed Spencer, "Since when are you mending Melissa's relationships?" Biting her lower lip in consternation, Spencer guilty muttered, "I kind of owe it to her." The four remaining Liars traded baffled looks and Emily couldn't help but ask, "What's she ever done for you?"

Guilt-ridden onyx orbs flickered toward each Liar; exhaling from her nose, Spencer said, "I'm the reason she and Wren broke up, remember?" Hera, Hanna, Emily and Aria grimaced as they recalled Spencer's alarming confession a few weeks back about her intimate moment with the debonair British doctor that tarnished Melissa's engagement. "It gets worse… Melissa doesn't know this part, but I, I also had a- _a_ _moment_ with Ian-"

" _Shut up!_ " Hanna gasped, sapphire orbs gazing in incredulous awe at the guilty Hastings. Swallowing the lump from her throat, Spencer forced the next words out, needing to profess her shameful sins to her best friends, "It was early in the summer, before Alison went missing. It was just _one_ kiss, but after they broke up… we started seeing each other." Scoffing bitterly, she added, "I feel like the poster child for poor judgment."

Emily, ever the compassionate one, embraced Spencer, "You could have told us, Spencer." Hera noticed Hanna's gaze attached to her person and she looked away, unable to instigate eye-contact with her best friends; so she and Ali weren't the only Liars from their little group that shared a dalliance with an older guy… but, Hera couldn't find it in herself to admit, to share this secret like Spencer was gladly sharing hers. Spencer's scathing remark snapped Hera back to the present, " _Really?_ Ali knew about the first kiss and she thought I was awful."

"We're _not_ Ali," Hera adamantly commented, "Besides, she's the last person to judge. She was dating an older guy remember? And don't even get me started on that lifeguard and he wasn't even close to our age, remember?" Spencer sent her a grateful smile while Hanna had yet to detach her burning gaze from her person. The mood rapidly changed upon discovering Alison's case on television and their attention was solely focused on the reporter's announcement.

" _Authorities searched the family home earlier today. Reports have confirmed that a blood stain on the sweater is a match to the victim's. If you just tuned in, police issued a warrant for the arrest of missing Rosewood teen, Toby Cavanaugh. He is wanted for the murder of Alison DiLaurentis."_

"The sweater was Toby's," Aria gasped, her dumbfounded stare still attached to the now muted television. Hera hastened to shake her head, "No. Na-uh, no way you guys. Alison was _not_ dating Toby. She _hates_ him."

Hanna looked torn, but Spencer adamantly pointed out that the police had _proof_ , "If its Toby's sweater, then he _has_ to be the boy at the kissing rock."

"Is it finally over?" Hanna had a hopeful expression on her mien. Spencer however, was only too quick to burst her bubble, ever the voice of reason, "No. It won't be over until he's behind bars."

Aria noticed that Emily seemed off, "Em, you okay?"

Shaking her head morosely, Emily glumly uttered, "How could I be so wrong about someone?" The other Liars traded uncertain looks; Emily had been the most outspoken one from the Liars regarding Toby's innocence and had immediately defended him, going as far as allowing him to escort her to a school dance. Placing a hand over Emily's, Hera's icy eyes softened, "We all have a dark side. I guess Alison brought Toby's to the surface."

* * *

The evening of Mona's 'glamping' approached, and the five Liars planned to divide and conquer. Aria and Spencer decided to attend the party together while Emily found herself driving separately to the party and running late due to Toby appearing spontaneously in the backseat of her car for an untimely confrontation. Hera was adamant in not showing up after Mona dissed her twin in a public setting, not trusting herself to not punch Mona's friggin daylights out, therefore, the Marin twins were stationing themselves to scout out different sections of their environs in hopes of catching 'A' from afar.

Halfway through the party, Aria's phone chimed, prompting Spencer and Emily, who had just finished informing them about her run-in with Toby, to jump in fear, the ambience in the tent crackling with tension. Aria announced the ominous words, "It's from 'A'. ' _You found my bracelet. Now come find me. Good luck, bitches.'_ "

Spencer grimaced, promptly comprehending A's clue, "We go to where we found Ali's bracelet."

Since they found the fake woven bracelet near the Kissing Rock, the three girls wasted no time in ditching the party before Mona could intrude on them, and began scavenging for clues. Unbeknownst to the girls, Ezra texted Aria, imploring her that he needed to see her post-haste, just as Spencer located another clue: a woven bracelet identical to the Liars', but with Jenna's name engraved on it.

"Is Jenna telling us that she's 'A'?" Emily dubiously inquired, chocolate orbs widening on the Jenna bracelet in Spencer's hand. Spencer shook her head, a deep frown materializing on her forehead, "I don't think so. There's something else-" the donnish Liar was interrupted by the chiming of her phone and found herself under the terrified gazes of Emily and Aria as she shakily opened her text and read aloud, " _'You're as in the dark as Jenna. Looking for me in all the wrong places.'_ Well, if this is the _wrong_ place, then what's the _right_ place?!" Spencer demanded in exasperation, annoyance clearly etched on her features.

The three Liars slowly ambled their way back to the camp, deeply pondering the cryptic message sent by 'A'; Aria took Spencer and Emily's distraction as the perfect opportunity to stealthily sneak away and meet Ezra, not knowing that Hanna, who clandestinely sat perched on a tree branch, had her binoculars trained on Aria as she clambered into the front seat of Ezra's car.

After muttering the cryptic message under her breath for the umpteenth time, Spencer stilled in her tracks and pivoted her entire stance to beam triumphantly at a perplexed Emily. " _That's it_! We have to go to the _Wright_ place. W-R-I-G-H-T!"

" _Wright's Playground_!" Emily gasped, sharing Spencer's elated disposition. With their discovery, their next course of action was a no-brainer; the two triumphant Liars texted Hanna, Hera and Aria in regards to their findings, hoping the three other Liars would meet them at Wright's Playground as they foraged for whatever 'A' wanted them to find.

A lot can happen in one night, in one hour, in one minute.

 _Have you ever thought that if one thing hadn't happened, a whole set of events never would've either?_ Like dominoes: a single event kicked off, an unstoppable series of changes gained momentum and _spun out of control, and nothing was ever the same again…_

Hera received Spencer's text and rushed toward the direction of Wright's Playground but before she could close the remaining distance and join her friends, her phone blared again. Hardened sapphire eyes widened in shock at the image she received from Emily: a tree with the words _**Alison + Ian**_ carved into it with a heart drawn around it. Deleting the image, Hera pocketed her phone, however, she barely took another step forward when a familiar voice that never failed to send chills down her spine, ominously snarled, "Going somewhere, Hera?"

The blood rushed to her head as strong hands gripped her waist and spun her around followed by a hard blow to her abdomen and amidst the continuous punches, slaps, and kicks, Hera witnessed unmerciful and blazing stormy gray eyes before brilliant, blinding white stars clouded her vision and she was welcomed by the darkness, drowning in the black abyss and the deep void of blissful oblivion.

While Hera was being beaten unconscious not even three minutes away from Wright's Playground, a startled Hanna was gaping at Aria who was fiercely locking lips with their English Teacher, Mr. Fitz, when, from the peripheral of her vision, she noticed a tall, hooded figure stealthily approach them and trace unknown words on the windshield of Mr. Fitz's car. Without a second of hesitation, Hanna whipped out her phone and texted the girls, _'I KNOW WHO 'A' IS. MEET ME AT THE PARKING LOT!'_

"Where's Hera?" Emily asked, chocolate orbs flickering from Spencer to Aria in worriment, both of whom frowned and double-checked their respective cellphones for any texts from the aforementioned Liar. At that precise moment, Spencer pointed at Hanna who was frantically waving her hands in the air and running toward them, "Hanna?!"

"We're over here!" Aria called out.

Three gasps permeated the air upon noticing a car speeding in Hanna's direction. "Hanna, WATCH OUT!" Spencer bellowed. But it was too late. Hanna only had time to whip around and stare at the speeding car as it impacted on her person, causing her to collide violently with the windshield, fling over the top of the unknown car and fall onto the ground, unconscious. The driver never bothered to assess the damage done as it sped away from the scene of the crime. Unbeknownst to Spencer, Emily and Aria, as they rushed over to Hanna's side, an object was tossed a few meters away from them by an unknown assailant.

"Hanna!"

" _Hanna_!"

"Oh my God. Call 911!"

They tried shaking the fallen blonde, to no avail. Emily quickly took out her phone and dialed for an ambulance, her voice quivering with fear, "There's been an accident. We're in the Camp Rosewood parking lot. _Please hurry_!"

"Hey, she's not breathing!" Aria cried out, tears cascading down her cheeks; simultaneously the artsy Liar's phone beeped with a text and she fumbled with the correct buttons before gasping aloud, sobs wracking her entire body as she read A's message, _"She knew too much – A._ "

"Somebody! _Help_! Somebody help us!" Spencer wailed in the empty parking lot as she continued to shake Hanna's immobile form, averting her eyes from the puddle of blood accumulating from her pallid face. And then, a trembling Emily asked the million dollar question, "Where's Hera?!"

Aria had the strength to dial Hera's number, and the three remaining Liars were able to meet each other's bewildered and terrified miens upon hearing the familiar ringtone of Hera's phone not too far away from them. Not wanting to leave Hanna's body for even a second, Emily kept watch while Spencer and Aria combed their surroundings for Hera. Aria's fingernails clawed through Spencer's wrist in a tight grip, hazel eyes widening significantly at the offending object, "That's Hera's phone!"

Kneeling down on the ground, Spencer warily picked it up and as the fluorescent beam of the lamp post shone on Hera's phone an ear-splitting scream erupted from Spencer's lips.

"Oh my God, Spence-, is that, no! _Oh, God_!" Aria stammered between body-wracking sobs. Spencer hoarsely revealed what Aria could not, " _Blood!_ " For Hera's cellphone was coated in fresh crimson that was still wet to the touch, staining Spencer's hand.

* * *

A figure in a black hooded trench coat stood over the bloody and bruised form of an unconscious girl, head cocked to the side in thought. Wailing sirens pervaded the previously tranquil air, cutting down on the anonymous figure's time. Hands clad in leather black gloves clenched in anger; _this was not part of the plan!_

Quickly, before any eye witnesses could amble by, the figure heaved the marred girl and unceremoniously cast her in the car boot. Examining the poor condition of the unconscious girl and the listening to her feeble breathing, the hooded figure slammed the boot shut and snapped a few pictures before whistling an ill-omened tune while walking away.

 **A/N:** **I hope you all liked this chapter?! XD**

 **I am so sorry for the long wait. I have NO excuse, so I hope this chapter was worth it… and don't kill me, but so sorry for the cliff-hanger! *ducks head from hurling tomatoes***

 **So, as you can see, there have been changes from canon in this chapter! Darren Wilden remained on the case since Jason was present last chapter, and Veronica Hastings had no reason to kick him off the case. Also, I hope you liked Jason's flashback…? And the ending of this chapter was different from canon, DUH!**

 **Okay… so, question… Should I save Ian? I really do root for the underdog, it's a flaw of mine when it comes to writing fanfiction, however, if I do save Ian, then I'm gonna have to think of a way to immerse him in the future plot-line. So let me know, that way I have time to create a plot-twist to the whole 'Ian tried killing Spencer at the carnival and the church … Ian killed by 'A'… Ian's body disappeared only to be found later in a 'suicide attempt' and oh, yeah, Ian killed (NOT) Alison.' So let me know if you want me to save Ian so I can find a plot-twist to all those events. XD**

 **R &R.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Hera Marin – Candice Swanepoel.**

 **Chad Delray – Matt Bomer.**

 **Christy Delray – Phoebe Tonkin.**

 **Chapter 11:** **Moments Later:**

Spencer, Aria and Emily watched with trepidation as the paramedics loaded an unconscious Hanna onto a stretcher and wheeled her into the back of the ambulance, hastily placing an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. The three girls stood rooted in their spot, unable to depart the scene until the police arrived so that they could, yet again, report a missing friend.

Even after the ambulance sped away to Rosewood Community Hospital, the crowd from Mona's glamping party still remained huddled over the crime scene like a flock of geese, Mona notably the one bawling loudly over Hanna's fate, prompting an aggressive eye roll out of Spencer. Aria however, only had eyes for one person: _Noel Kahn_. He stood on the forefront of the crowd, staring Aria squarely in the eye, garbed in a black hoodie, and a shiver ran down Aria's spine at the almost _knowing_ look she was on the receiving end of, but before she could ponder the situation some more, or cross the distance between them and confront him, a door slamming shut echoed in the open air around the parking lot, and Emily squeezed her forearm in an effort to grab her attention.

"Girls," Detective Wilden's modulated drawl permeated the air as he approached them, navy blue eyes quickly flickering from one Liar to another, assessing them. "Have to admit, I was surprised to hear you called the station, and you _asked for me by name_. Couldn't wait for the interrogation about the hit-and-run to take place in the hospital with an adult present?" he demanded, pointedly referring to the correct protocol Mrs. Hastings remarked on during the eventful stormy day at Rosewood High. However, before Darren could rip into them, he took in their identical red-rimmed eyes, their blotchy cheeks, and how the three girls were stubbornly, almost desperately clutching onto each other, their expressions screaming that they were terrified to death, and his training kicked in, his disposition turning solemn, "Why did you call the station?"

In response, a hoarse sob escaped from Emily and Aria shuttered her hazel eyes closed, both of them silently motioning for Spencer to disclose their ominous discovery. And for the first time since Alison's funeral, Spencer looked Darren Wilden in the eye with hope and desperation, looking to him for help, her expression lacking all previous animosity and dislike. Stepping forward, Spencer unsteadily vocalized, "After Hanna got- after she got hit, we called Hera since she was with us at the party and h-her phone rang nearby but-but it was on the, on the ground-"her throat closed up, unable to convey a coherent explanation and instead, held out Hera's phone, trying to keep the touching to a minimum so as to not destroy the evidence for forensics.

Frowning at the donnish girl in utmost bemusement, Darren let out a sigh of exasperation and carefully released the cellphone from her possession, lightly holding it with his fingertips. Sharp navy blues inspected Hera's cellphone and after noticing fresh crimson blood coating it like a second skin, his heart began beating thunderously against his ribcage, comprehending the gist of the matter.

"This is blood," he stated, almost dumbly, and if the girls noticed the potent emotion in his tone, they didn't mention it. Trying to gather his composure, Darren straightened up and tilted his head towards his car, "Come on. Get in."

The three Liars gaped at the creepy Detective in a mixture of awe and unadulterated shock; in synchronization, their eyes swiveled from Wilden to the opened passenger door and back to Wilden, and Emily eloquently spluttered, " _What_!?"

"I'm not about to let you three girls drive in your current condition. I'm taking you to the hospital, your parents will pick you up from there," Darren left no room for a rebuttal, using his authoritative tone; he may have been hard on the girls regarding the Alison DiLaurentis case, but he was a cop, a detective, and he made an oath to protect and to serve.

Emily and Aria obediently piled into the backseat, and they all waited for Spencer to finally join them, but she stubbornly stood in front of him, her eyes blazing with defiance and concern, "What about Hera?!"

"I'm going to call it in, send the phone to forensics and have my men search every corner of these camping grounds," Darren genuinely informed her. And to Spencer's shock and mild suspicion, his orbs shone with passion, "I _promise you_ , we'll find her. _I'll_ find her. Now get in."

* * *

Locating Ashley Marin, Spencer, Aria and Emily rushed over to her side in desperate need for an update regarding Hanna's condition. Ashley was confused and angry, the police had no information about the driver that hit Hanna, and on top of that, Hera was missing. Roughly swiping away her tears, Ashley sent the girls a weak smile, trying to alleviate their fears, "Hanna's going to be all right. She, um… she has a broken leg and a broken ankle, bruised ribs," agitatedly shaking her head, she continued, "… and uh, they might have to remove her spleen. Girls, _what happened_? And _where is Hera_? _Why_ did Officer Barry just inform me that she's missing?!" no blame could be detected in her tone, only a mother's desperate need for reassurance.

"Hanna was coming across the parking lot and this car just came out of _nowhere_ ," Emily confided; Aria instantly took over, "I-I called Hera after the car drove off, but we only found her bloody cellphone-"Ashley let out a strangled gasp, her hand automatically covering her mouth as a new batch of tears cascaded down her weary face, "-we gave the phone to Detective Wilden, he's sending it off to forensics," the artsy Liar assured her.

Ashley hysterically shook her head as though in denial, feeling out of depth and wholly inadequate. Spencer acidly added in her two cents, "Cops should be looking for Toby Cavanaugh!"

"It wasn't Toby Cavanaugh," Ashley stated with conviction, confusing the Liars, "The police picked him up." Upon being the recipient of three shocked expressions, Ashley hastily elaborated, "One of the officers told me they found him hiding in town and they were bringing him in when they got the call about Hanna." Pursing her lips tightly in an effort to suppress any sobs from being forcibly released, Ashley urged them to go home, promising that she'd inform them when Hanna awakens and if the police found Hera.

The moment Ashley was out of hearing distance, Emily addressed the other two girls, "Toby _isn't_ 'A'." And a part of her felt relieved; relieved she hadn't been gullible regarding Toby and relieved that her instincts concerning his innocence when he confronted her before Mona's party, hadn't been incorrect.

"Well, Hanna knows who is," Aria was only too quick to point out. Spencer nodded in wholehearted agreement, "That's why 'A' tried to kill her-… you think, you think Hera found out as well? I mean, why else target them _both_?"

Emily trembled slightly, hugging herself while rubbing the goosebumps from her arms, "If they're just trying to scare us, it worked."

Spencer bit her lower lip before parting them with ominous words that didn't bode well for any of them, "This was never about scaring us, that was just a bonus. This started with murder, and we were crazy to think that it wouldn't end up like this."

"Stop! Don't-don't _say_ that," Aria hysterically hissed at Spencer, her wide hazel eyes watering with tears, "Hera isn't- she isn't dead. She _can't_ be!"

Ten minutes later, after the girls' parents collected them from the hospital, Ashley stared long and hard at her cellphone, hands trembling at an alarming rate as she tried to control her wildly beating heart. A small voice whispered in her ear that her daughters' fates was some form of karmic payback for stealing money from Mrs. Potter's account, eliciting rampant tears to cascade down her face, and for her body to shake violently with unbridled sobs.

Placing a hand over her thundering heart, Ashley gave in and dialed the contact her thumb had been hovering over ever since the police informed her of Hera's disappearance. There were four rings before a masculine voice answered on the other end, voice hoarse with sleep, "Hello?"

"Tom," Ashley's voice quivered, though it oozed with relief at the sound of her ex-husband's voice, "It's about Hera and Hanna. There's been an accident…"

* * *

The next morning, Hanna woke up to find herself in a private room surrounded by a lot of flowers and gift baskets, and her shaken mother by her bedside. "Who sent the orchids?" was the first words to escape Hanna's lips, bringing about a diminutive fond smile on Ashley's face.

"Sean brought them this morning."

After narrowing her eyes on the ugly cast on her leg, Hanna sharply scrutinized the room, a frown puckering on her forehead, "Mom, I don't have to be in a private room." Despite the fact that she had surgery, it didn't change the fact that they were really low on cash and had to spend frugally. Ashley looked sad at her daughter's priorities, but nevertheless alleviated her concerns, "You don't have to worry about it. I'm not the one paying for a private room-"

On cue, the door opened and Hanna's pallid face brightened perceptibly at the newcomer, "Dad?"

"Hanna, honey," relief lit up Tom Marin's features and he tightly embraced his youngest daughter in a hug, "Thank god you're alright. Your mother and I have been worried sick."

Hanna shrugged, trying to play it off, "It's no biggie. I'm just minus a spleen and forced to wear that foul cast." All previous tension regarding 'A' and her accident evaporated away, and Hanna was all smiles and bright eyes at the nearly perfect family picture… which reminded her. "Hey, why isn't Hera here fussing all over me?"

Simultaneously, Tom and Ashley's relief was completely wiped off their faces and Tom hesitantly addressed his ex-wife, "You haven't told her yet?"

"I was about to," Ashley harshly insisted, tears brimming in her eyes again. Feeling dread in the pit of her stomach, Hanna snapped, "Tell me what?!" When she was met with silence, she hysterically screamed, " _Tell me what_?!"

Struggling to maintain her composure and look strong for her daughter, Ashley sat on the edge of her bed, "Hanna, Hera's missing. The police…"

Her mother kept talking, rambling on and on in an effort to comfort her, but the moment the words ' _Hera's missing_ ' permeated the air, Hanna drifted off, all surrounding voices morphing into a buzz, almost gibberish. It was déjà vu all over again, just like when Alison disappeared.

"NO! NO!" Hanna unexpectedly shrieked, inconsolable to the comforting arms struggling to hold her in bed, and it concluded with the doctor and nurses bustling inside to sedate the hysterically hyperventilating patient.

* * *

Emily had just finished telling Spencer that she had finally fessed up to her parents about liking girls when Ian materialized before them sporting one of the brightest smiles to date, "Hey girls, come on out and grab some glasses, Melissa's out in the barn."

Gobsmacked at the oddity, Spencer hesitantly reached out for the champagne flutes alongside an equally bemused Emily. "I'd like to know what I'm celebrating," Spencer commented as the two Liars followed Ian outside. Melissa grinned, linking arms with Ian, both of them rolling their eyes fondly at Spencer's typical pragmatic behavior, weirding the aforementioned Liar even more at the un-Melissa-like behavior.

"You don't have to be celebrating to drink champagne. That's very old-fashioned thinking," Christy giggled, accepting a generous glass from Jason.

Spencer barely spared her sister's best friend a glance, preferring to keep her eyes peeled on Ian, "You cancelled practice today."

"Yes I did," Ian grinned. Rolling her eyes impatiently, Melissa blurted out their announcement before Spencer could start off a twenty-question-inquisition, "We're married!"

Spencer and Emily's reactions were quite comical as they gaped at Melissa, Ian, Christy and Jason – the latter two obviously having filled in for the roles of witnesses, maid of honor and the best man. "Do Mom and Dad know?!" Spencer demanded, not the least bit thrilled that Alison's probable mysterious older boyfriend was officially inducted into the family.

"Not yet," Melissa shrugged unperturbed over them discovering that she had eloped with her high school sweetheart.

Before a full-scale argument could break out between the Hastings sisters, dual blares echoed throughout the cheerful ambience, a foreboding signal in regards to the two Liars who, with shaking hands, clicked open their texts;

 **The Scavenger Hunt is Officially over.**

 **Come and collect your prize, bitches. – A**

And below the captions, there was a picture of-

" _Oh my God_!" Emily gasped, doe eyes widening in fear at the picture of the car that had hit Hanna, or more specifically, its trunk. Completely disregarding their bemused witnesses, all four of whom were deeply concerned at the stark fear displayed quite obviously on their faces, Spencer whipped around to confront Emily, "You don't think-"

However, before Spencer could finish her sentence, a devastated Peter and distressed Veronica Hastings joined them, Officer Barry bringing the rear, the three of them having eyes for nobody but Spencer and Emily.

Straightening her posture, Melissa spoke up, interlacing her fingers with Ian's, "Mom, Dad, what's going on? Is everything okay?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Officer Barry looked utterly stressed out, "Unfortunately this isn't a social call. Police received an anonymous call regarding Hera Marin's whereabouts. Twenty minutes ago, her body was found stuffed into the trunk a car in front of Rosewood Community Hospital's main entrance."

Gasps infiltrated the air, and Christy's champagne flute slipped from her hand, impacting with the ground and smashing into multiple pieces. The disturbance snapped the two Liars back to reality and Emily tearfully inquired, "Body? Wh-what do you mean b-body? She's not-"

"She's in critical condition and has been rushed into surgery," Officer Barry despondently revealed, contritely bowing his head, "I'm sorry, that's all I know. I will take my leave now." Peter cleared his throat and mutely nodded his head as he left to escort the Officer to the front door. The two Liars felt suffocated, blindly allowing Veronica to lead them to her car, having offered to drive them to the hospital.

Sniffling uncontrollably, Christy ran off to her car, most likely to check on her co-workers regarding Hera's condition leaving behind a shocked Melissa, and Ian and Jason, both of whom were rendered speechless at the devastating news regarding another one of Rosewood's residents, suspiciously another member from the six friends.

* * *

The waiting room was packed, all of them waiting impatiently for news regarding Hera Marin's surgery.

Spencer and Emily hadn't been the only ones to receive a text from 'A', but Aria as well, who had been on her way to the hospital at that moment to visit Hanna. By the time Aria arrived, red barrier tape decorated the parking lot and a drove of Officers were gathered around the car from the hit-and-run incident the other night. Aria managed to witness a familiar face, Detective Wilden, who had been in his element, barking around orders, seemingly stressed out and infuriated, and not a moment later, she observed a body being rushed into the hospital, belatedly realizing the unrecognizable female with the clammy and bluish complexion had in fact been, her missing friend.

Roughly six excruciatingly long hours of waiting later, and Hera's surgeon, Dr. Connelly, approached them, grimly taking in the plethora of worried and tear-stained faces gazing back at him. Exhaling loudly, Dr. Connelly chiefly addressed Tom and Ashley, "Your daughter suffered from extreme internal bleeding. We had her taken into the OR for an emergency craniotomy due to an intracranial hemorrhage, which in simple terminology means that your daughter is bleeding inside her skull due to a blunt force to the head, or in her case, _constant_ blows impacting with her head."

Feeling faint, Ashley staggered backwards grateful that Tom had the foresight to hold her upright before she toppled over. The Liars remained silence, unable to comprehend A's unexpected brutality, never having expected them to take it to a fatal level.

"Unfortunately, other than a craniotomy, Ms. Marin had to simultaneously undergo an exploratory laparotomy due to damage caused by blunt abdominal trauma. The blunt force to her abdomen produced three broken ribs, which in turn, punctured her liver causing a rupture. Both surgeries were a complete success," Dr. Connelly concluded, prompting cacophonies of relief. " _However_ , I must warn you… Ms. Marin suffered from a significant amount of blood loss, causing her skin to turn a bluish hue so we have her on intravenous fluids. Also, after enduring brain surgery she will be on constant observation and you have to patiently wait for her to wake up on her own time, and when she does, she will be slightly disoriented and weak."

"Thank you doctor," Tom hugged Ashley tightly while the Liars escaped to inform their respective parents, who had been worried sick, alarmed that Hera had been attacked by Alison's killer, or worse… that a new killer was plaguing Rosewood.

Unseen, Darren Wilden let out an emotional sigh of relief, and rested his forehead against the cool wall, grateful that Hera had survived. Stealthily, he departed from the corner he hid behind in to overhear the doctor's speech and stormed out of the Hospital, not planning on resting until he caught the sick son of a bitch that harmed _his_ girl. However, unbeknownst to Detective Wilden, a figure in a black hoodie had been carefully scrutinizing him from afar and once he departed the premises, turned toward the opposite direction, whistling a sinister tune of looming evil, fists veiled in black gloves clenched.

* * *

Hanna's brilliant sapphires snapped open, her eyes automatically flickering towards the bedside table, significantly widening on the Styrofoam cup with a berry-colored lipstick stain on the rim, matching the exact shade of lipstick Alison was wearing in what she thought had been a painkiller-induced hallucination.

"Hanna?"

Sitting upright, Hanna was relieved to see Spencer, Aria and Emily surrounding her looking relatively unharmed. "Hera? Did she make it through her surgery?!" she demanded, " _What_? Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" Hanna frantically lifted a hand to rub her face, but Aria quickly shook her head, "No, no, there's nothing on your face, it's just…" she trailed off, staring beseechingly at Spencer and Emily.

"It's just you've been sedated since this morning," Spencer calmly relayed, not wanting Hanna to suffer through another panic-attack. But when Hanna blinked at them in palpable confusion, Emily took over, "You didn't take the news of Hera's disappearance well, Han. Your parents told us that the doctors were forced to sedate you. You've been out of it for over eight hours now."

Aria nodded in agreement, scrutinizing the blonde in bewilderment, "How did you know that the police found Hera?"

"I-I…" Hanna frowned at that; Alison told her… but it was a dream? It felt so real… if she left behind a lipstick stain and had actually been correct about Hera being whisked off for an emergency surgery… did that mean it wasn't a dream? Was Ali _actually_ alive?

"Hanna? _Earth to Hanna_!" Spencer called out, extremely concerned at their blonde friend's rattled disposition. Shaking her head, golden locks swishing to and fro, Hanna faked a smile, "I guess it was just a feeling. Must be our twin bond or something."

Slightly mollified with the blonde's response, Emily flashed Hanna a genuine smile, "Hera's fine, Han. She's in recovery right now. Dr. Connelly estimated she'd wake up by tomorrow morning."

Ecstatic, Hanna decided to reveal the identity of 'A', and after five minutes of mulling it over, Aria shook her head, "That doesn't make sense! Why would Noel Kahn try and _kill_ Hera?! He's Chad's best friend, who, might I mention, is _insanely_ in love with her! _No_ , Noel would hurt Hera. He wouldn't," she confidently concluded.

Spencer, ever the pragmatic one, questioned Hanna, "What _exactly_ did you see?"

Avoiding eye contact with Aria, Hanna traced random patterns on the blanket as she recounted the fateful night, "Well, I saw Aria go into a parked car and then I saw someone in a black hoodie write something on the back of the car window. And when he turned around it was Noel."

"No, it can't be Noel," Aria denied, though her mind flashed to the moment after Hanna was wheeled into the ambulance and she was on the receiving end of Noel's knowing gaze… Noel who had a black hoodie on. Frustrated with her friend's constant denials, Hanna snapped, "Aria, I saw what I saw!"

"And A tried to kill her for it," Spencer _tactfully_ added, before asking the million dollar question, "Whose car was it?"

Hanna, her being the only one to truly understand Aria's reasons for not confiding in them due to her twin's sordid affair with the creepy detective, really did try to avoid Aria's eyes, but still, she couldn't help but blurt out the truth, "Mr. Fitz." The girls needed to know, especially if Noah Kahn did _actually_ turn out to be 'A'.

" _Mr. Fitz_?!" Spencer and Emily intoned in disbelief. Guilt overwhelmed the petite girl; Aria desired to tell her friends about her boyfriend – what girl wouldn't? Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly a legal relationship, and she couldn't compromise Ezra's safety. "I couldn't tell," Aria weakly told them, her wide hazel orbs pleading for them to understand, "I couldn't tell _anyone_. I promised Ezra-"

" _Ezra_? Hold it," Spencer hastily interjected, incredulously hold a hand up, "This is something that's been _going on_?! You and a _teacher_?" And if the situation wasn't so grave, then Hanna would have burst out laughing at the stark affront written all over Aria's face as she placed her hands on her hips and snapped, "I didn't just _get into his car last night_! Who do you think I am?"

Before Spencer could say something she would later come to regret, Emily quickly joined the fray, and tried her hardest to not sound judgmental, and just highly curious, "How long have you been seeing him?"

In an innocent tone that sounding anything _but_ innocent, Aria responded, "Since right before school started." If possible, Spencer's jaw dropped lower, "Oh, my God, since _Labor Day_?"

"Okay, let me see if I got things right… you _don't_ have a boyfriend in Iceland? And you were seeing _a teacher_ when I fixed you up with Noel?" but before Aria could answer, Hanna sucked in a sharp inhalation of breath, her face paling dramatically as she stared horrified at Aria, " _Oh my God_! _I_ fixed you up with _Noel_!"

Aria shook her head, and despite their current predicament, she couldn't help but be amused by Hanna's histrionics. Ignoring the background noise that Hanna was making, Emily softly inquired, "Why did you get in his car last night?"

"Well, he, um, called me and- oh don't look at me like that," Aria snapped at Spencer, prompting her to rearrange her expression into a more neutral look, "Anyway, I've got to go. I'm going to stop by Hera's room before I leave," the petite girl informed them and with one last embrace to each of the other three Liars, she departed the room – she had a date with Ezra and she didn't want to be late.

* * *

Groggily, sapphire eyes blinked open, struggling to battle through the mist and better examine her surroundings. The monotonous beeping of the ECG was almost deafening, and she tried ignoring the maddening disturbance. A guttural groan escaped her dried lips, the dehydration eating at her, and as if reading her mind, a glass of water was placed between her lips and she greedily imbibed the entire glass, her thirst finally quenched.

Attempting to catch a glimpse of the person who came to her aid, sapphire orbs finally made out golden locks and a candy striper outfit. Blinking a few more times, she soldiered through the haze and eventually succeeded.

"Am I dead?" she bluntly inquired.

Cerulean eyes rolled in their sockets in an almost fond motion, "Missed you too, Hera."

"What? It's a plausible question. You're supposed to be dead," Hera defended herself. The other blonde settled herself on the empty armchair by her bed and smiled mischievously, "I heard about that… but here I am," she sang.

Hera studied the 'candy striper' for a full minute before nodding in acceptance, "So… if I'm not dead, then you're not dead. Or my mind's just cooking up some wild dream," she blathered on. The other blonde giggled good-naturedly, "Seems the brain surgery further addled your brains."

Disregarding the double entendre, Hera didn't bother beating around the bush and bluntly asked, " _Where_ have you _been_? _Why_ are you _here_?"

Her visitor smiled cheekily belying the sad glint in her expressive cerulean eyes, "Not to tell you _I told you so_ , contrary to popular belief." Hera stubbornly looked away. "He could have killed you, Hera. _He_ _nearly did_!"

Blinking away the moisture from her eyes, sapphires met ceruleans, "I miss you, Ali. _So much_! I miss my backstabbing bitch," she chuckled wetly. Alison DiLaurentis clasped her hand in hers, and genuinely retorted, "And I miss my compulsive liar."

"That's pot calling the kettle black," Hera pointed out in amusement.

Alison winked in return, "Ditto." The room was filled with mellifluous laughter as the best friends resumed their playful banter as though they hadn't been separated for over a year. Once the laughter died out, Alison met Hera with a solemn gaze, "I was so scared you were gonna die. I nearly lost two of my girls on the same night. That's why I came back. I didn't care how dangerous it was, I had to see you."

"What do you mean by _two_ of your girls?" Hera demanded, fear gripping her heart all of a sudden. The other blonde spared her a look of sorrow before confessing, "Hanna was involved in a hit-and-run by 'A' truly. Don't worry, she's alright. You were worse off."

Assuaged, Hera was still seething about the news, "I'm gonna kill that bitch!"

Alison scowled, nodding in wholehearted agreement, "Get in line. I really should do something about 'A.' That bitch is _genuinely_ getting on my nerves." The two blondes stewed in silence, and after a while, Alison suddenly remarked, "The limelight's on _him_ now, Hery. You know that 'A' is trying to frame him, right?"

"I know why _I'm_ worried. Question is; why are _you_?" Hera inquired, genuinely puzzled at the other blonde's selflessness. Alison rolled her eyes and haughtily flipped her hair over her shoulders before shooting Hera the stink eye, " _I care_!" Hera stared at her skeptically with one brow raised. "Ugh, fine. I hate you bitch. You're the only one around here that can read me. I care because you care, happy? I don't want to see you get hurt."

A smile blossomed on Hera's face and she mock-cheered, "Tin-Girl, you have a heart!"

"Hardy har! Not funny," Alison blandly retorted, though her eyes held a glint of amusement. Out of blue, with no warning whatsoever, Alison placed a chaste kiss on Hera's forehead, a melancholic smile on her face, "It's time for me to leave. Heed my warnings Hery. I'll be watching over you."

All of a sudden, Hera's vision turned misty again and before she knew it, she was out like a light.

* * *

"A bar? You met him in _a bar_?" Spencer blurted out in palpable incredulity, onyx orbs scrutinizing the petite liar in disbelief. Receiving a well-aimed glare, she raised both hands in a placating gesture and quickly added, "Not judging. I'm not judging. This is me showing shock."

Mollified, Aria bobbed her head and rectified the donnish Liar's statement, "It's not a bar. It's a pub."

Spencer huffed and widened her strides toward their destination, "And he hit on you?"

"Yeah, we were talking about writing," Aria giddily informed her. Spencer snorted in amusement, "Yeah, read any good books lately?"

Aria shot her another glare, but it was halfhearted as the shorter girl was out of breath due to their spontaneous afternoon hike. Spencer had called her and informed her of her scheme to break Melissa and Ian up by showing the only proof they had of Alison and Ian's secret dalliance. Aria readily agreed, having been sequestered in Ezra's car when Spencer and Emily located the tree in Wright's Playground with ' _Alison + Ian_ ' carved into it and a heart drawn around it, and was incredibly curious.

Disregarding Aria's feeble glare, Spencer good-naturedly piped up, "Part of me thinks this is really self-destructive behavior but most of me just thinks it's really _hot_."

Aria lightly shouldered her in return, and her next words came out as a slight whine, "Spence, don't tease, okay?" She already had a lot on her mind, what with Ezra wanting to give their whatever-they-had a shot, and chickening out, postponing her inevitable confrontation with Noel for as long as possible, and Aria did not need Spencer to psychoanalyze her actions.

"It's not funny," Spencer halted in her footsteps to turn around and squarely face the shorter girl who was clutching a stitch in her side, "It's the _opposite_ of funny. I'm sorry, I just… I don't know how I'm supposed to react," she honestly confessed, a sheepish expression on her visage. Aria nodded in comprehension; heck, if she weren't living it, if one of her friends told her they were dating a teacher… and even worse, _her school teacher_ , she didn't know how she'd react either. "Yeah, neither do I," Aria grinned back, alleviating the tension in the air, "Enough of this. Show me the stupid tree, okay?"

Absentmindedly, Spencer waved a hand to her right, "Yeah, it's right over there."

Hazel eyes met nothing but thin air, prompting Aria to irately cross her arms together, "You are not gonna tell me!?"

Spencer's jaw dropped, her face the epitome of shock, " _No_ , this was it! It was _right here_!" she gestured wildly with her hand. Aria skeptically eyed the stump amidst the flourishing grass and bit her lip, "You sure that you have the right spot?"

"I'm _definitely_ sure!" Spencer adamantly yelled, conviction vibrating in her tone, "It's gone!" Her evidence was gone, _all gone_! She had nothing on Ian, _nothing_ to prove that he had been with Alison. _Nothing_!

Aria's face shone with concern and slight fear, all skepticism fading away upon seeing Spencer's frantic distress and visible disappointment, "We should call Em and Hanna. Hera too, if she's finally awake."

"We'll talk to them at the hospital," Spencer suggested, her eyes not once disconnecting from the measly stump by her feet. Finally hitting her, Aria couldn't help but cry out, "A tree, Spence. An _entire_ tree!"

"I know," was Spencer's bitter reply.

* * *

When Hera opened her eyes again, her room was shrouded in darkness, the only source of light coming from the small lamp on the dresser. Since her surgery, she had only woken up twice, both times during the night, and therefore missing out on the chance to speak with her friends and family. Sighing loudly, she turned her head to the side, only to jolt slightly at the telling frame of a man sitting on the armchair by her bedside.

Her breathing escalated prompting the heart monitor to beep wildly, terrified that 'A' was paying her a visit or that maybe _he_ came to finish what he started, when all of a sudden, a warm hand cupped her cheek, the other hand softly stroking her hair in a soothing manner and the familiar baritone hushed her.

"Shh, shhh. It's me. It's just me."

The ECG evened out and Hera breathed a large sigh of relief. "Ian?" she whimpered, her voice oozing with relief.

There was a slight downward pressure on her bed, a telling sign that he had inched closer to her, and Hera could practically hear the smile in his voice when he spoke his next words, "I'm here, my little warrior. I'm here. You're safe."

 **A/N:** **Woah! Done! I am so sorry for the delay… I hit a writer's block and I** _ **just**_ **got my inspiration back! YAY! XD**

 **(1) I am so sorry that Jason was barely mentioned in this chapter, but I** _ **promise**_ **he will show up next chapter and he'll have a huge part! XD (2) Did you like the Darren scene? Awwhh he showed his soft side. Next chapter, he'll confront Hera ;) (3) Can anyone guess who attacked Hera? (4) About the surgical part… while I do watch a lot of Grey's Anatomy, I don't know if I wrote that part correctly. However, I did use a lot of Google, so if I got something wrong, I apologize. (5) My favorite part was writing the Hera/Alison scene. Unlike the other Pretty Little Liars, those two have a strong bond and are extremely close, so it was fun. XD Did you all enjoy it? (6) As you can see, in canon, Tom Marin didn't show up… however, I believe having one daughter involved in a hit-and-run and the other daughter missing, Tom would obviously return to Rosewood to check on the situation… right?** _ **Right**_ **? (7) I tried depicting in this chapter how many secrets revolves around Hera, which was highlighted on the Ali/Hera scene. But maybe some of you would be able to correctly guess what those secrets are… ;) (8) And lastly, out of curiosity… did the last scene blow your minds away? Did anyone see** _ **that**_ **coming? *innocent face* Sorry for the cliffhanger! XD**

 **Poll Time: I don't know what to do with Noel Kahn… should I follow canon and make him slightly evil or do you want him to be with Aria?**

 **Next Chapter there will be a lot of confrontations, some secrets revealed, and an important flashback!**

 **R &R.**


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